Caged
by SugarQuills10
Summary: Post - war Hogwarts. As the girlfriend of the Chosen One, Ginny is crowned Princess of Hogwarts. She is plunged into a world of superficiality where everything is supposedly picture perfect. On an encounter, she meets a Slytherin bad boy with demons of his own. He makes her feel alive, happy but can a deflected former Death-eater and a princess ever truly be together?
1. Prologue

**_**A/N:**_**

**_**Hello lovelies! xoxo I'm back with a new take on Draco &amp; Ginny fanfiction. Gosh, I've truly missed being on this site. Anyway, I hope that you find this little prologue interesting enough to hit the subscribe button. Its a story that is way different from all of my works so far and I'm really excited to be sharing it with you guys. Perhaps it's a little too soon to ask for comments but if you're excited as well then you can show me some love by hitting up the review button.**_**

**_**Only because a disclaimer is necessary and I studied Intellectual Property, **_**

**_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the various characters, settings etc are all property of J.K Rowling. The content and the creativity of this plot otherwise disclaimed are intellectual property of My Bad Addiction. No infringement is intended. Credit will be given when it is due. **_**

**_**Without further ado...**_**

* * *

**_Prologue_**

"Gryffindor wins!" The crowd went wild as Harry held the snitch up in the air victoriously.

The game was officially over. The remaining members of the Gryffindor team zoomed from their positions nearly knocking the triumphant seeker off his broom.

"Spectacular dive, mate!"

"That was bloody awesome, Harry!"

"Yay! We won!" Victory was in the air as the team congratulated each other and praised their Quidditch captain.

Ginny had been the first to reach her boyfriend. They hugged each other tightly sporting wide grins before Harry moved on to the rest of the team.

"I knew we were going to win, which is why I already made plans for a party in the dorms." Dean Thomas, her ex boyfriend and fellow chaser could be heard telling the team as they descended from the air.

"That's great, mate. I'd kill for a butterbeer." Ron said tiredly as he practically dragged his feet. They were all exhausted but nevertheless thrilled to party. The game had been challenging, heck they were playing against Slytherin, the royalties of strategies and what not, it was bound to be demanding.

Harry had an arm wrapped around Ginny as they walked towards the respective shower rooms.

"I'll see you back at the dorms. I'll be a while." Ginny smiled as she tip-toed and kissed her boyfriend's cheeks. Harry nodded as the team split heading into the respective shower rooms set aside for both sexes.

Wordlessly, Ginny stepped into the shower listening to her team mates thrilled babble as they showered. The excitement had not worn off and it won't, not for the next couple of hours at least.

To say Ginny was excited would be an understatement; she was practically buzzed on the adrenaline of Quidditch and Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin. She smiled at the thought of the prize awaiting her.

Within minutes, the shower room was empty; Ginny was the only one left. The rest of her female counterparts had finished up and left feeling absolutely famished. Ginny wasn't hungry, not the least bit. She continued to shower taking extra care to scrub away the dirt, grime, sweat and stench as her blueberry scented shower gel filled the air.

She took her time with changing as well. She changed into comfortable grey sweats and a white tank top. She threw over a navy blue hoodie. Once she was certain that the quidditch grounds would be empty, she left the shower room.

She was right in her estimation, the grounds were entirely deserted, she noted as she walked slowly towards the school entrance. As she took her first steps up the stairs, a pale hand shot out, grabbing her roughly and pulling her behind the pillars where they were out of the sights of any prying eyes.

Ginny yelped, evidently startled however, that soon changed as she stared into the mercury eyes of the person who had the audacity to manhandle her. There was only one.

Her smile grew as she studied the exasperation written all over his features. He had no choice but to bow. They had lost after all. Accepting defeat was never easy for someone whose ego rivaled the size of the planet Saturn.

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She teased, her hands inching up slowly from his chest. She grabbed him roughly by his collar, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

* * *

_**This is truly truly a work in progress, I'll be updating this story in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned. **_

_**Love, **_

**_MBAxoxo_**


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **_

_**Hello lovelies! **_

_**Thank you so much to all those who reviewed, added me on Story Alert, I recognized a couple of names from my previous stories. It is good to have you back! If you are new here, please do stay on to give my stories a chance to entertain. **_

_**Secondly, this is the first official chapter for this story so as tradition would permit, here is a summary: **_

_**Post - war Hogwarts. As the girlfriend of the Chosen One, Ginny is crowned Princess of Hogwarts. She is plunged into a world of superficiality where everything is supposedly picture perfect. On an encounter, she meets a Slytherin bad boy with demons of his own. He makes her feel alive, happy but can a deflected former Death-eater and a princess ever truly be together? **_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the various characters, settings etc are all property of J.K Rowling. The content and creativity of this plot otherwise disclaimed are intellectual property of My Bad Addiction. No infringement is intended. Credit will be given when it is due. **_

_**TAKE NOTICE that this copyright clause applies to this and every following chapter. **_

_**&amp; now we may proceed….**_

* * *

**Chapter 1. **

Ginny Weasley strongly believed in the balance of things. Being constantly photographed for The Daily Prophet had its advantages. For instance, her views on life, her personality was held at esteem and she was constantly viewed as a badass. Up and coming designers sponsored her with clothing of the latest trends. She was a role model for girls out there and best of all, her words sparked change.

However, the same stature of the royal treatment that she had received from being a 'small – time celebrity' – her words, had balanced out with a set of painful disadvantages. For instance, she could never have bad hair days; she could not walk about Diagon Alley in anything less than high street fashion, she was required to attend events and meet people whose names, position and power she would forget within minutes of the meeting and lastly, she was required to stand beside her boyfriend in all her poised, elegant glory.

Oh no, not quite the last apparently, she simply could not miss a social gathering unless she was on her deathbed or comatose. Alas, she should have known what being Harry Potter's girlfriend would entail.

There we have what Ginny Weasley strongly believed in, _the balance of things_.

It had been a mere three months since the Second Wizarding War had ended leaving devastation in its wake. The wizarding economy had all but crashed. The Ministry of Magic had to be rebuilt under the constant supervision of the Magical Law Enforcement. Legislations passed had to be repelled and magical statutes that ordered the checking of the authenticity of non – purebloods had to be revoked.

The thousands of homes that had been destroyed had to be rebuilt. Sentences had to be passed on to wrong doers and deaths had to be mourned.

A sense of loss continued to fill the air as people struggled to get on with their lives. Who could blame them though? Everybody's wounds were as fresh as well, clean laundry?

Today was another attempt for a semblance of normalcy in their not so normal lives.

They were celebrating Seamus Finnegan's eighteenth birthday at Storm, the hottest nightclub in town. Loud music blasted through the smoke filled air as the guests danced the night away. The beat of the music and the lighting effects indeed helped with putting the club's name to justice.

Ginny stood dutifully beside her boyfriend as he socialised with their mutual circle of friends. She had been relatively quiet all evening mostly smiling and cracking a joke or two. No one seemed to notice anything out of place.

In reality, the truth was that Ginny was unwell. She had felt the beginnings of a migraine at the back of her skull in the early hours of the morning. She had brushed it off but eventually the blasted headache triumphed into a full blown migraine. It was one of the worst migraine attacks Ginny had ever experienced in her life.

The fact that she was currently in a party did nothing in her favour. _Zilch._ The club's second level had been booked for Seamus's party and everything had been arranged the way he liked, even smoking indoors.

Ginny's head felt as though it was being hammered. She could barely breathe. Despite her discomfort, Ginny was the picture of elegance. Even her boyfriend had failed to notice that she was not feeling well. She thought herself deserving of an award of some kind if she managed to get through the night.

At the insistence of her friend, Hermione, Ginny had gotten a cocktail that she supposedly simply had to try. It remained untouched.

As the night wore on, her condition worsened. The pain in her head was almost close to excruciating. She also started suffering from nausea. She managed to excuse herself graciously before she practically rushed towards the female room. Remembering that there had been an 'Out of Order' sign in the second level's toilet, she rushed down the stairs nearly colliding with the waiter carrying a tray of shots for them.

At the ladies room, she could no longer hold all that tension in and she puked her guts right out. She felt terrible; tears sprang from her eyes, her mouth tasted bitter and gross and her world was spinning. She came close to wishing for death, close. As she rested her head against the cool tiled wall, she gradually began to feel better. Her head throbbed lightly as though she had puked most of it away. Although she felt weak physically, she felt strong enough to pull herself together.

She would think about how unsanitary it was to be practically sprawled around the toilet later when she had _to scourgify_ herself. Finally on her feet, she stumbled clumsily out of the stall, struggling to find the centre of her gravity. Thankfully, the marble sinks were just in front of her and she grabbed them to stabilise her balance. She looked up only to view her reflection in the mirror. She looked terrible.

Her makeup that she had taken pains to perfect smudged. Her hair had lost the earlier effort it took to style it. Her face was pale beneath the sheen of powder. She looked like a hangover case. Hopefully her pictures from tonight did not turn out too terrible.

The air still reeked of damned cigarettes, it had to be the club, Ginny deduced as she began to rinse her mouth and wash her face. The cool water from the tap had a refreshing effect causing Ginny to feel a lot better than she had a couple of minutes ago. Most of her makeup had been washed off. One thing she applauded the club for even though its other aspects were appalling was the fact that they set aside towels for their guests. Ginny used a towel to wipe her face clean of all make up.

She used her wand for various cleansing charms which made her feel slightly better, like a percent of hundred.

"Chin up, Ginny. Just an hour of this and you can put your foot down and go home. Just suck it up for now, don't be such a pansy." She tried giving herself a pep talk as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She washed her face once again before making a split decision to undo her elaborately styled hair.

There… Her tensed head felt much better after it was let loose. She made an attempt to adjust her hair so that it didn't look like a wild mane.

"Did you know that talking to oneself is the first sign of madness?" An amused, unfamiliar male voice spoke startling Ginny to her bones. She had not expected another presence in the toilet yet she caught the stranger's eye through the mirror in the toilet.

He was curled up in a corner on a rattan bench. The stranger's hair had obviously been styled to perfection. He wore a black leather jacket over what appeared to be a dark blue v-neck tee and black jeans with loafers. His platinum blonde hair was mussed up, giving off the 'I-just-had-bloody-damn -amazing-sex' vibe.

Ginny eyed him from top to bottom feeling slightly unsettled as she met his smirk, "Take a picture, love. It will last longer."

"Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy." Ginny scoffed before turning back to the mirror –"And by the way, in case you didn't realise, this is the female room. And you are quite obviously, I might add, _male_ so get out!" She said as she made another attempt to adjust her hair.

"Or else?" He taunted while taking a puff.

"That you should get the hell out of here before I scream sexual harassment." She replied, barely glancing at him as she adjusted her hair.

He looked entertained, noted as she placed a bobby pin on her hair to secure the simple yet stylish hairstyle she had conjured barely a minute ago. Harry liked her hair tied up.

"Cat got your tongue?" She asked sarcastically as she turned to face him. She couldn't believe that she had missed his presence earlier. However, she excused herself for she was barely conscious. It shouldn't happen again though, previous experience had taught her otherwise. It was basically a statutory requirement for her to look every bit composed.

"No…" He replied smirking at her –"I was just thinking about how if you planned on shouting harassment, I should get what's due. I mean, it wouldn't be fair for you to shout harassment and not actually be harassed."

"W-what?" Ginny barely had time to get the word out of her mouth and he was right in front of her. She leaned back against the sink feeling alarmed. She hadn't thought to bring her wand. He closed the distance between them, blocking any routes of escape.

"Do you know who I am?" She practically shrieked.

"Red hair and rags for clothes, you must be a Weasley." She stared at him wide-eyed, her heart pounding in her chest. He leaned forward. As he spoke, his breath tickled her neck creating goosebumps as she winced from her skin's sensitivity.

"I don't think that you realised, love that we are in a club. No one would hear you shouting over the music." He raised his hand slowly but daringly to her head where he pulled the bobby pin releasing her waves.

-"Don't scream, it'll save you from a nasty sore throat."He said pulling out a second pin, then a third. Ginny's hair was completely rid of its styling now. –"There… your hair looks much better. Now… Cat got your tongue?" He said stepping a foot away giving her room all while looking as though he was the cat that ate the canary, no pun intended.

It was at this period that Ginny's mind started working and quickly it did. She reacted swiftly, pushing the hand that held the pins towards his chest. She completely took him by surprise as the pins he held jabbed him. He howled in pain widening the route of escape for her. Ginny dashed wanting to get away from this crazy boy as soon as possible.

She had been caught alone in a bathroom with a former Deatheater; not just anyone, her boyfriend's archrival from Hogwarts. Although the war changed things between both parties….Ginny still could not grasp her mind around it. All she wanted now was her bed, and some of that disgusting potion that cured migraines.

But of course, the night was far from over. Harry welcomed her with open arms as she returned. She smiled at him weakly as he wrapped a protective arm around her waist.

The girls who witnessed this exchanged sighs collectively. Some even shot her looks of pure envy but Ginny ignored them.

"Why did you leave your hair out? You know I like it tied up." He whispered in her ear sounding a tad bit irate. To the others, it looked as though he was whispering sweet nothings in her ear. To the others, it looked as though he was whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Ginny's temper flared at his words however, she forced herself to cool off.

"My bobby pins fell." She whispered back apologetically cupping his cheek and caressing it lightly.

He leaned forward to brush his lips against hers, a sign that he was not bothered. He was probably caught up with his friends. It was after all the birthday party of one of their buddies. Ginny didn't know Seamus very well although he was the best friend of her ex boyfriend, Dean. He was a friendly Irish chap who was always making everyone laugh with his antics.

If it weren't for her blasted migraine and the fact that she was not the biggest fan of clubbing, she might actually be having fun tonight. Instead, her head hurt and she was dying to be in the comforts of her bedroom forcing a migraine relief potion down her throat.

"Ginny?" Hermione Granger, one of her closest friends and essentially a soul sister came and stood beside her. –"Do you want to accompany me to Diagon Alley tomorrow? I ordered a couple of books from Flourish which I need to collect. And you've been meaning to head down to the Florean's to get your favourite…. "

Before Hermione could continue, Ginny nodded her head wincing slightly from the effort. "Sure, Herms, I'll come with you to Flourish as well. I've been meaning to check the new releases anyway."

The girls conversed for quite a bit before Ginny put her foot down. An hour had passed. It was time for her to leave.

She approached her boyfriend, "Harry, I'm starting to tire out. Can we make a move?" She asked him in front of the birthday boy and the rest of their friends.

Before Harry could respond, Seamus protested, "You're no fun, Gin. The party is just getting started."

"I'm sorry Seamus." She said genuinely as she smiled weakly. As tired and unwell as she felt, Ginny could not bring herself to feel irate with Seamus.

"You look mighty exhausted though. You should escort her back, mate" Seamus said to Harry.

"Oh no that's okay. I will just apparate home. Besides, Harry hasn't seen the lot of you in a while. Except for this doofus here. " Ginny nudged her brother, Ron. She didn't care if her boyfriend followed her or not. She just wanted out. Truth be told, she just wanted to be left in her own solace for a while. Her migraine was returning at full force.

"You do look exhausted, Gin. Let me escort you home." Harry said gently as he moved a loose strand of hair away from her face.

She shook her head, "I'll be fine, Harry. It's not that late anyway. Seamus is right. The party is just getting started."

"But it's not safe …" Harry began to protest before Ginny covered his lips with her hand.

"Save your superhero complex, Harry. I will be fine. I have a wand and besides, the apparating point is just across the street." She added sarcastically.

Harry smiled sheepishly, "I am being paranoid aren't I?"

"You think?" Ginny raised an eyebrow while smiling back at her boyfriend.

"Alright… At least allow me to walk you out, Madam." There was a collective groan as Harry started to leave. Ginny waved at their friends.

"I'm walking Ginny out, mates. I'll be back." He grinned. They were probably going to take the partying notch up a little.

"He is such an amazing boyfriend…." A girl Ginny didn't particularly know or fancy could be heard telling her friend.

"I'd be more amazing if I escorted you home." Harry told her as they descended down the stairs.

Ginny shook her head adamantly. "I'll be fine. I just need to cross the road and bam! I'll be right in my bedroom."

"Alright, Gin. I won't push you. Could you… Oh I don't know send me a Patronus or something when you get back home? Is that too much to ask from my beautiful girlfriend?" He pulled her towards him, his arms wrapped around her waist. They were at the exit now. All Ginny literally had to do was cross over to the next street.

"When you put it that way…. "Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck before pulling him down for a kiss.

As she hugged her boyfriend, she was met with Draco's appraising eyes as he exited the club. His penetrating gaze had her attention. They stared at each other as she tightened her hold around her boyfriend. Despite all that had happened in the toilet, she was able to meet his stare boldly. Internally, it was another matter, he unnerved her entirely. She hoped that she wouldn't see him anytime soon.

* * *

_**For the purposes of this story, I will be making a couple of changes to the original ending in Deathly Hallows. So I hope you guys are okay with it and you liked the first chapter although it was not much and you really really really want to read more! **_

_**Having said all that, do REVIEW, ALERT, FAVOURITE (abit too shameless aren't I) and basically, let me know you exist. I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say!**_

_**MBAxoxo**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Caged **

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Saturday finally arrived with Ginny wanting to spend it spread out under the covers. She made it home safely last night and had immediately crawled into bed, her hair, little black dress and makeup be damned. She was feeling much better this morning although her head felt slightly tensed. She called it a 'residue' headache which according to her was the after effects of a migraine attack that went untreated.

Despite her wish to spend the rest of Saturday and possibly the weekend holed up in her room, very much to her dismay that was not the case. Hermione Granger, her friend, soul sister, her brother's girlfriend and incidentally her roommate over the summer holidays had reminded her that Ginny had promised her a trip down to Diagon Alley.

Well not quite a promise, but Ginny found herself getting ready because she did not want to disappoint Hermione. She knew for a fact that Hermione was looking forward to spending time with her. She took care to dress for a casual day out between both girls as she knew that they would be the scrutiny of the public.

Ginny had been visiting Diagon Alley ever since she was a little girl. There had been significant changes over the years thanks to the imparting circumstances. The cobbled street had shops which sold quite literally everything. She had yet to find an item she needed which could not be acquired within Diagon Alley itself.

It was the one stop street for wizards in the United Kingdom. A central point for meeting with her friends who lived all over UK, a shopping and dining district, a place for school supplies and a place where everybody pretty much knew everybody. At this thought, Ginny sighed to herself mentally as she smiled slightly at a few people who recognized her.

She was recognized as the girlfriend of Harry Potter, the teenage boy who saved the wizarding world from the reigns of Voldemort's terror. Hermione had her own share of recognition as well. The girls had smiled and waved at a couple of people. Thankfully no one had directly approached them.

Hermione chatted continuously about the Ministry of Magic and the Golden Trio's effort throughout the summer to aid the Ministry in rebuilding itself as an established and stable form of governance. Ginny appreciated the chatter and she listened on although she knew bits and pieces from what Harry had told her. He didn't dwell on details while Hermione was the exact opposite. Ginny was quite certain that after listening to Hermione, she would be able to recite the basic contents of the recent Bill that was drafted to introduce stricter laws for the Further Prevention of Cruelty to Non-Magical Beings.

Ginny rubbed her head a couple of times inconspicuously but on her third or fourth attempt, Hermione had caught her.

"Is everything alright, Ginny?" Hermione asked concernedly, turning to face her.

Ginny nodded her head slightly.

"You've been rubbing your head and you look so withdrawn and tired. I've been the one chatting all morning." Hermione laughed at that.

Damn Hermione, she never missed a thing. Ginny would have to tell the truth now. Her friendship with Hermione had taught her a long time ago that it was best to not attempt to evade things. Hermione always got to the bottom of each matter thanks to her meticulous and tenacious nature.

"I just have a slight headache that's all." Ginny explained.

"Oh…" Hermione looked satisfied by that –"Shall we get a potion?"

Ginny shook her head – "No, no, I'm fine. If it gets worse, we will get that potion."

Hermione looked slightly thoughtful at this. All of a sudden, she perked up and grinned, -"I know something that will make you feel much better. Let's go!" Ginny barely had a chance to protest when Hermione grabbed her by the hand and brought her down the alley towards the food and beverage side of Diagon Alley.

She felt like a little girl again, her arm being clutched tightly by her mother afraid of losing her in the bustling crowd. They had passed The Leaky Cauldron, a pub where everybody knew the bartender, Tom. She loved their Fish and Chips.

"There we go…" Hermione gestured brightly towards the parlour in front of them –"Nothing makes you feel better than a guilty pleasure."

Ginny glanced at her –"That kind of rhymes you know."

Hermione pursed her lips, "That was unintentional. We both know that amongst the both of us, you are the Rhyming Maestro. Now let's go in! I'd die for a scoop of mint chip.

They were at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. The parlour, true to its nature of food for sales, was every bit inviting and colourful to both adults and children. The girls went to the counter to place their orders from the man himself.

Hermione had ordered a double scoop of mint chip topped with rainbow sprinkles in her waffle cone.

"Will it be the usual for Miss Weasley?" Florean asked Ginny with a beard coated, grandfatherly smile.

She nodded her head. Ginny had been coming to her parlour ever since she was a little girl and Florean had her order memorised, this was especially because she never seemed to order anything else. If she was in the mood to try something new, she would balance out the order with a scoop of her favourite cookies and cream and a scoop of another flavour.

She received her order, a scoop of cookies and cream with a cookie dough centre. Hermione looked surprise at the fact that Ginny had only ordered a scoop but she chose not to pursue the matter. With every bite of her ice cream, Ginny's health looked considerably better. She chatted more and the girls laughed as they shared stories, gossips and jokes.

It was a known fact that women thrived on gossip afterall. Their respective boyfriends had made plans to play Quidditch today, Ginny had come to know. They had made the plans last night while they were at the night club. This meant that the girls would not be stopping by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the new and thriving joke shop a little further down the road courtesy of her brothers', the twins, Fred and George Weasley.

"Shall we have dinner here?" Hermione asked before taking a dainty bite out of her ice cream.

Ginny shrugged, basically indicating that she was fine with Hermione's idea.

"I'd love to get some Fish and Chips from The Leaky Cauldron. I caught a waft earlier, it smelt divine." Ginny sighed, dreamy at the thought of having one of her favourite dishes.

"Actually…" Hermione interrupted her little bubble, -"Have you heard of The Alfresco?" She asked.

Ginny nodded her head as she spooned her ice cream –"The restaurant that opened last week? They received rave reviews in the Daily Prophet."

Hermione continued eagerly from there –"Exactly, and guess what? We received complimentary invitations to dine there just the other day. I was thinking that we could go tonight, I heard their truffle fries are to die for and apparently their squid ink pasta is mindblowing."

"Oh…." Ginny paused. –"Okay."

"That's completely okay with you right, Ginny?" Hermione confirmed. –"If you want to go to the Leaky Cauldron, I'm good."

Ginny shook her head –"No, no it's perfectly fine. I'm sure I will come up to Diagon Alley again this week for something, I'll definitely have it then."

"Great. Well that's settled. I shall let the boys know." Hermione looked absolutely thrilled at the thought. She loved trying new things and visiting new places.

They continued to talk for a while more before leaving to walk down to Flourish &amp; Blotts.

"Goodness knows I haven't had a day like this in the longest time." Hermione said as she took a deep breath of the summery air.

"You were definitely in need of something like this." Ginny agreed –"I don't quite understand how you can work within four walls. I'd much rather draft statutory amendments while sitting in a field or something."

"I don't think about the environment. I think about the task at hand. I could be sitting in a dungeon but as long as I had something to concentrate on, my environment would be one of the least of my concerns." Hermione explained.

At Flourish &amp; Blotts, Hermione collected the books that she had ordered while Ginny browsed through the new collection of books they had. She had found out that one of her favourite authors had released a new book from her novella. Hermione was equally excited about that.

Both girls were huge fans of the author and they were completely and utterly in love with the male protagonist. As they currently shared the same room, Ginny insisted that Hermione read the book first. She had confessed that she insisted because Hermione was a fast reader and she was certain that she would have the book by tomorrow evening. This would in turn allow her to read and enjoy the book at her own pace.

After their business at the bookstore, they went window shopping for a little bit occasionally stopping to buy stuff. Ginny bought an entire box of Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Hermione had gotten herself a pair of sandals at this shop that the girls had visited.

They had gotten a good bargain on the price of clothing from a particular shop. Both girls had left thoroughly satisfied with their shopping. Ginny especially was happy because she would have another outfit to mix and match her clothes with.

As they continued to kill time walking down the alley, Hermione suddenly remembered that she had to go to the Apothecary. She wanted to buy a couple of potion ingredients for a particular potion she intended to brew. Not someone who was partial to pungent smells, Ginny put her foot down at this. She refused to follow Hermione inside knowing that it would be encouragement for her residue headache. The smells would also encourage nausea, something that Ginny did not want to entertain as she was feeling rather queasy. Lastly, she knew that Hermione would definitely take time because she would scrutinize the ingredients wanting only the best of the best for her potions.

At this, the girls agreed to split and meet outside The Alfresco at seven. As Ginny was now alone, she decided to visit Quality Quidditch Supplies, one of her favourite shops in Diagon Alley. She could spend hours in there marvelling at the latest brooms or discussing quidditch with a fellow fan or follower of the game. It was very easy to make an acquaintance in that shop.

There next hour or so went rather quickly. Before Ginny knew it, she was late. She was supposed to meet the trio outside The Alfresco at seven in the evening. It was fifteen minutes past the meeting time and Ginny was scrambling to the other end of Diagon Alley.

Quality Quidditch Supplies was in North Side, Diagon Alley. It was a ten minutes walk, by the time she arrived; she would be twenty five minutes late. She could imagine their disapproving stares or worse, maybe they would forget that she was supposed to be there since the three of them were best friends.

Both scenarios did nothing to appease her. She could imagine Harry's calm expression as he explained that her lack of concern for punctuality could have led them to be concerned for her safety. Despite the war's end, the wizarding world was definitely not at its safest yet. She loathed the way he would explain things to her as if she were a mere child. She was seventeen years old for goodness sake.

Ginny noted the time once again before breaking out into a run. She was feeling terribly uncomfortable with the wooden edge of her sandals poking at her feet. Her sandals had been pretty when she had purchased them, now they were pretty painful. The ache in her legs warned her of her exhaustion. She was a fit person, being obsessed with Quidditch and all however at this point, she felt ill.

Less than two minutes into the run and she felt horrid. Her legs throbbed from sheer exhaustion and her throat was parched. Bright spots of yellow flashed before her eyes and she felt faint. She stopped to catch her breath and to hopefully retrieve her vision but to no avail. Her head spun and she felt bile rising. Her vision of the crowded street had turned grey. Her knees buckled and Ginny collapsed welcoming the darkness that engulfed her.

* * *

The fact that her room was cold was one of the first things that Ginny noted as she slowly drew out of her unconsciousness. Her blanket was thin, in fact it was practically a sheet and her bed was uncomfortable. It didn't help that her room smelt oddly like the disinfectant her mother used whenever she cleaned the kitchen. She was used to the sweet scent of red velvet cake that her therapeutic candles emitted.

Her eyelids felt glued together and although she didn't want to, she forced herself to open her eyes only to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Blearily, she looked up only to be startled by two identical redheads grinning at her, Fred and George.

"About time you woke up, Gin." Fred greeted her, his brown eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, we were contemplating testing a new product on you." George agreed.

"It's supposed to be stinky enough to wake up the dead." Fred added.

Ginny frowned, failing to understand the situation.

"What time is it?" She whispered. She felt weak, tired and really thirsty.

"About a quarter past nine." Fred replied as he briefly checked his watch.

"Am I in St Mungo's?" Ginny asked as she took in her surroundings. –"What happened?"

The twins shrugged –"You collapsed in the middle of Diagon Alley. Someone recognized you and brought you here. We were already back from the match so we left Verity to handle the closing shift."

Things were becoming more apparent for Ginny as the fog that surrounded her head gradually cleared.

"I was supposed to meet ….." Her eyes widened in alarm –"Oh no, do they know I'm here?" She gasped.

"Calm down, Ginny. Yes, they are aware. They went down a while back to get Ron a snack." George explained.

-"I am going to let the Healer know that you are awake. You've got a fierce one. She'll probably have our heads if she walks in and we haven't told her that you are alive and dandy." Fred stood up and left the room.

"They're going to be so disappointed. Hermione was really excited to dine at the restaurant." Ginny said mournfully.

"What's a little disappointment in view of someone's health, eh Ginny?" George ruffled her hair as he helped her sit up comfortably. –"I shall pour you a cup. You sound like Aunt Muriel and quite frankly, that is frightening."

Ginny smiled slightly at her brother's attempt at a little joke. She drank three cups of water by the time Fred returned with the Healer. The Golden Trio were right behind her.

"There are too many visitors in the room. I can only permit one of you to stay as I check over Miss Weasley." The Healer informed them. She was a plump, middle age woman with brown hair that a firm tone that reminded Ginny of her own mother.

"I will stay with her." Hermione volunteered probably assuming that Ginny's privacy would feel less violated if she was with female company.

"No, no. I'll stay. I want to hear the diagnosis firsthand." Harry told her.

Ginny smiled at Hermione slightly assuring her that she didn't mind Harry's company. He sat down on the chair that George previously occupied. He took her hand squeezing it lightly as the Healer began to check on Ginny's health.

As she questioned Ginny, it became apparent to the three people in the room that her collapse was the result of an untreated migraine. Harry was stunned when Ginny revealed that she had been having a migraine at the club last night.

"But you seemed absolutely fine to me. A little tired but that's all." He frowned as he recalled the events of the previous night.

"That's because I didn't want you to worry." Ginny replied. It was her turn to squeeze his hand in reassurance and that was exactly what she did.

"You should have told me that you weren't feeling well, Ginny. I wouldn't have minded leaving the place early. And you didn't even take a headache relief potion when you went home..." He shook his head, upset.

"A headache relief potion wouldn't have been of much help, Mr Potter. Miss Weasley has said that her migraines are rather often, I will prescribe a potion specifically for her condition. Also, Miss Weasley, your blood pressure is rather high. The potion you will consume after this should bring it back to the normal range however; I'd like you to watch over your diet for the next few weeks." She said as she scribbled notes with her quill.

"Lay off dishes that are high in salt and fat content. I am surprised that you've had this going untreated thus far. It can be dangerous for your health." The Healer said rather severely as she handed Ginny a potion to drink much to her dismay.

"How long will she have to stay here?" Harry addressed the Healer.

"Well, I think we should keep her a night for observation before she is deemed good to go. Her exhaustion is quite apparent. I will send for some food before she rests. As Miss Weasley is still a minor, I trust that her parents have been informed, Mr Potter?" The Healer narrowed her eyes at him.

He nodded his head, "Yes they have been but her brothers said they will take care of her as they live nearby. I expect that her parents will be here in the morning."

"Well then, I'll leave the patient to rest. Not too long, Mr Potter." She advised before leaving the room.

Harry turned his attention on Ginny who remained quiet throughout. She looked exhausted, he noted. She should have put her foot down on going to Diagon Alley with Hermione this morning.

He recalled their conversation at The Alfresco as they awaited her arrival. She had been running late but they hadn't been surprised. Punctuality had never been one of Ginny's strongest traits. She was always distracted by something or another. Her brother, Ron and Harry's best friend had been awfully crabby about her lack of regard for punctuality. Not that he was Mr Punctual himself, he was simply starving.

It was only after Hermione mentioned that Ginny was very unlike her usual bubbly self today that they felt slightly apprehensive. Later, they had received word that Ginny was at St Mungo's. This will probably be all over the Prophet tomorrow. Harry shook his head as he focused his attention on his girlfriend.

He shifted such that he was sitting on the edge of her bed. Caressing her hair, he picked up the mug that held the potion she was ordered to consume. Ginny grimaced as she braced herself to swallow the nasty tasting brew.

"A quick gulp, alright?" Harry said as he held out the mug to her. –"I think I have a Chocolate Frog here somewhere. We'll change that horrible taste in your mouth soon enough."

Ginny glared at the mug as though doing so would change its disgusting flavour. She pinched the bridge of her nose before she gulped the contents of the mug down. She visibly shuddered as Harry took the mug away from her handing her a chocolate frog.

A bite or two into the chocolate frog and her dinner arrived. It was a simple meal consisting of mushroom soup and French bread. Harry had taken it upon himself to feed her.

"Thank you, Harry." Ginny said very quietly as she finished the last of the soup. It was a relatively bearable meal. She would have to get used to eating tasteless food for a while. Had she drunk the soup alone, it would have been long abandoned but Harry had sweetly coerced her into finishing the entire bowl.

"I'm glad you are okay, Gin." Harry said as he set the bowl on the bedside table. He pulled her into his arms kissing her forehead lightly.

"I want in the next time you are unwell. Alright?" He admonished. She nodded her head.

"Good." He replied, satisfied. –"Can't have my girlfriend fainting in the streets or anywhere else for that matter."

He held her in his arms as she reveled in the comfort of being in his embrace. He kissed her once again on her forehead before planting kisses on her nose, her cheeks and finally her lips.

She moved such that there was enough space for both of them on the hospital bed. As they laid together, Ginny realised that this was the first time in days that they were spending time together and without the scrutiny or the weight of the world on either of their shoulders. It had taken a fainting spell, no pun intended, to get her boyfriend all to herself.

* * *

_**A/N: As usual, a big thank you for the support I've received for the previous chapter! I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone with this story (it will probably get more apparent further into the story) so I really appreciate the support. It makes me happy to know that people still want to read my work. **_

_**Also, sorry no Draco for this chapter but I promise he will be back soon. I miss our beloved Mr Malfoy as well. **_

_**Review and do let me know what you think is gonna happen, what you thought of this chapter or simply what you think in general! I look forward to reading your comments! **_

_**MBAxoxo**_


	4. Chapter 3

**Caged **

**Chapter 3. **

The Prewett-Weasley bloodlines were famous or rather infamous for producing generations of spitfires. This genetic trait had not gone amiss on Ginny Weasley and she had a terrifying combination of the Prewett-Weasley temper. At Hogwarts, she had been famous for her generosity in dishing out Bat Bogey Hexes. Everyone knew better than to get on the wrong side of the youngest Weasley.

Well, almost everyone. Ginny's temper and tolerance had been on trial for the past three weeks. It had been three bloody long weeks from the blasted fainting incident and Ginny had yet to enjoy any form of pleasure by gastronomy. Her food, very much to her boyfriend's insistence was bland and not at all greasy. For someone who harboured a love for chips and all things unhealthy and savoury, 'clean' eating was pure torture.

Ginny persisted following the diet that her boyfriend created for her although she hated it. She did not rebel although she hated meal times with a passion. She had taken to eating lesser as well thanks to her hatred for the food she had to consume. She also spent more time outdoors.

It was a lovely morning on the 31st of July. The breakfast table at the Burrow was awfully crowded with the vast majority of the Weasleys over. It was a special day in the family, a birthday to be specific. It was Harry's birthday. Today, he would turn eighteen. Mrs Weasley had whipped up a wonderful, traditional English breakfast in Harry's honour.

No one was more excited than Ginny. With most of her family over for breakfast, she was positive that the rigid control exerted by her boyfriend and her mother over her diet would relax. She smiled brightly at this thought as she walked into the dining room hand in hand with her boyfriend, the birthday boy.

He was swarmed with wishes from her family. Fleur Delacour Weasley, Ginny's sister-in-law and wife of Bill Weasley had pulled Harry and given him a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Happy birthday, 'Arry" She greeted him, her French accent as thick as ever.

Harry couldn't be more flustered by the attention he received. He smiled quite obviously overwhelmed. It was one of the reasons why Ginny adored her boyfriend. He was the saviour of the wizarding world and yet he could not bask in his own glory. He was always conscious of the attention that was being paid to him.

For Ginny's part, she had pulled her boyfriend in to spend some time together in her room before handing him his gift. It was a safe feeling to cuddle and fall asleep in Harry's arms. As they settled down, Harry was lovingly served breakfast by Ginny's mother after she pulled him in a tight, motherly embrace.

Ginny began helping herself to a tray of hash browns and sausages. She felt entirely deprived of such deliciousness. Goodness knew how she had survived or how she managed to restrain herself from wringing someone's neck.

She had barely taken a bite from the golden brown potato delight when someone pinched her waist. She winced at the sharpness from the pinch only to see her boyfriend focused on a casual conversation with her brother, Bill. He turned towards her and smiled slightly but his green eyes told her all that she needed to know. She wasn't supposed to be laying a finger on anything remotely fatty.

She wanted very much to stand up and storm out of the room but she knew that everyone would think that she was being juvenile. _It was his birthday for goodness sake! Why couldn't he lighten up?_ In her fury, she had taken her anger out on the fried potato. She had all but drained it of oil with her clenched fist. _Now it is probably edible_, she thought to herself bitterly.

"Ginny dear, aren't you going to eat?" Her mother asked, smiling kindly at her.

"I seem to have lost my appetite." Ginny replied trying her hardest not to appear sullen.

"You aren't on one of those diets are you?" Fred scrutinized her.

"Yeah, Verity is obsessed with some diet or another. She's always starving herself." George added.

"It's unnerving, the way she stares at my chicken sandwich." Fred shuddered dramatically.

"I'm not on a diet." Ginny replied tersely, _well, not willingly on one, _she corrected herself.

"Anyway," Her mother abruptly changed the subject as she buttered a slice of bread. –"We received a couple of letters this morning for the four of you." She nodded towards the direction of the trio and Ginny.

"What did it concern, Mrs Weasley?" Hermione asked politely.

"It's from Hogwarts of course!" She said as she summoned the letters using the Accio spell. –"I couldn't resist; I had to have a peek so I looked at Ginny's letter."

Ginny looked up from where she had been studying the lines on her palms. Her temper flared at this but she willed herself to keep calm. She wasn't angry with her mother, hell she could read letters from her admirers. She just needed an outlet for her pent up frustration.

Molly Weasley handed the letters to the four of them. –"It came at the perfect timing, in all this effort to get the Ministry up and running proper, they seem to have forgotten that the three of you are mere teenagers." She said the last bit more severely.

"What are you talking about, Mum? We are all of age now." Ron scoffed as he shoved another buttered toast into his mouth. His appetite was never ending.

"Of age but your education has yet to be completed." She said as she looked at the twins pointedly. Evidently, Fred and George's majestic exit from Hogwarts remained a sore spot with her.

"Oh please, Mum, it has been two years." Fred groaned.

"Besides, it's not like we need NEWTs certification for our jobs anyway." George added.

"Yeah, you don't need certification to run a business, you just need brains." The twins continued to defend themselves good – naturedly.

Hermione, a bel-esprit had her own two Knuts to add into this little discussion, much to everyone's surprise, she supported the twins.

The discussion continued with the Golden Trio discussing Hogwarts. Ginny listened on as Harry admitted rather sheepishly that he had completely forgotten about his education after the war. Ron shrugged saying that he will probably go back to Hogwarts because Hermione was going. Hermione flushed red with pleasure at Ron's dedication towards her.

After a while, it all got very stifling, Ginny got up quietly excusing herself from the table retreating to where she spent most of her time these days, the outdoors. She had always loved the outdoors ever since she was a mere child. She adored chasing after butterflies, making necklaces with daisies, plucking the little petals of the dandelions and last but not the least, quidditch.

It was a beautiful day to spend outdoors with the sun shining brightly; the skies were blue and clear of clouds. Ginny lay on the grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun with the slight wind that announced the impending change of season. She needed to clear her thoughts about what happened earlier.

She wasn't just upset, she was fuming. The last time her ex tried that move on her, she called it quits with him. They were good friends now. This time, the situation was a little different. Her boyfriend was Harry Potter, the boy she wanted her entire life. He had to know that such moves were upsetting. After all, what was a relationship without communication?

She stayed there as minutes, possibly hours went by. Before long, a figure appeared blocking her view of the sky. It was Harry. He smiled at her tentatively before making himself comfortable beside her.

"Everyone's been looking for you around the house." He said as by way of greeting.

"I needed to clear my head." She replied shortly, looking away from him. If Harry was oblivious, he wouldn't be now. It was a clear cut message that she was upset with him.

"Hey…" He started slowly, gently. "It was what happened at breakfast right?" He asked.

So he knew what he did was not right.

She remained quiet because silence in this case meant consent. He kept quiet as well as though deep in his thoughts. Finally he broke the silence that had descended upon them.

"I'm sorry, Gin. For my actions this morning, it wasn't right." He admitted.

Ginny took a deep breath before replying, "Harry, it was wrong on so many levels. I'm upset because your actions have gotten more than a little stifling. For the first couple of days after I fainted, it was fine, sweet even. But now, I feel like I'm not even allowed to make decisions for myself. It was just a fried potato!" She ranted.

Continuing, she said, "You know what makes a good relationship, Harry? Communication. And lately, we haven't been having any of that."

Harry was silent as he listened to what she had to say.

"You are right." He said when she was finally done. –"I haven't been the best of boyfriends lately. I haven't given us enough time together. It's completely inexcusable but it slipped out of my head that you have needs too. Damn, I really don't know how to make relationships work, huh?"

"Harry…."

"No, Gin. I'm not done yet. All this while, when I made sure you ate healthy, I did that because I didn't want your blood pressure going sky high. Of course, you can take care of yourself, and what is a little indulgence right?" He admitted looking particularly abashed.

He hadn't been clipping her dietary wings; Ginny's heart sank as she took in his guilty expression. He was just being a concerned, overbearing boyfriend. She was the one who flared up. Worst of all, it was his birthday. She made her boyfriend feel like crap on his birthday, she was no better than his aunt and uncle.

Before she could think otherwise, she scrambled knocking Harry down to the grass. His glasses went askew when she knocked the wind out of him. She hugged him tightly inhaling his scent and feeling the comfort and safety that his arms always offered as they wrapped themselves around her.

"Does this mean that I'm forgiven?" Harry implored. Ginny could hear the smile in his voice.

She nodded as he kissed her hair. "Just, don't do it again." She said.

"Yeah, how can I forget? You dumped Dean because he was being a gentleman." Harry teased.

"It is not polite to bring up the subject of one's exes, Mr Potter." She looked up, her cinnamon eyes meeting gorgeous green ones. She leaned down to give him a sweet peck on his lips.

"Duly noted, Miss Weasley." Harry replied, -"On another note, perhaps I should update you about the discussion that you missed over breakfast. After all, communication is important in a relationship." He quoted her words from her rant earlier in a light tone.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him before rolling off him and got to making herself comfortable on the grass patch. She gestured for him to continue. Harry brushed his jet black hair away from his eyes as he spoke staring out at the acres of land that surrounded the Weasley property. The decision was made, he informed her.

The Golden Trio would be returning to Hogwarts in the upcoming school year.

"All this help that we have been rendering to the Ministry, we forgot that we are barely of age. And with the destruction of horcruxes and all those, we could probably get any job we wanted. I could possibly be Minister for Magic after Kingsley." Harry joked.

"Yeah, you could even be King." Ginny teased.

"Nah, we'll leave that to Ron." Harry grinned as he thought of the slogan Ron carried around with him at Hogwarts thanks to a certain nemesis.

"Basically, all I'm trying to say here is, I think I could do with going back and getting my credentials. It would be a break from the entire thing. I'm certain the Ministry shouldn't have a problem with it once we break the news to them. I mean, we're a bunch of teenagers, it's rather questionable if you cannot live without our input on the new foundation." Ginny nodded, strongly agreeing with what he said.

She never really understood why the three of them contributed so much towards the reestablishment of a better wizarding society when they were not much older than her.

"Frankly, I think your decision couldn't get any better. Finally, a school year where there probably won't be attacks an d any plans to establish a pureblood supremacist society " said Ginny as she shook her head as she thought of the past and the recent dark months that they had been plagued with.

Thankfully, the Weasleys had come out of the war relatively unscathed. The same couldn't be said for many of their friends.

Harry nodded, "I'll get a break and I'll be able to spend time with you." He leaned over, planting a sweet kiss on Ginny's cheek. –"Haven't been doing much of that either." He muttered before smiling at her rather sheepishly.

"I am probably first in line for a "Terrible Boyfriend of the Year" award."

Her heart warmed considerably at Harry's embarrassed expression. There he was, the awkward, shy boy that she had adored ever since she had heard his tales. She placed her head on his chest as she faced the clear blues, a sign that she was not upset by the fact that he was busy.

The afternoon of Harry's birthday very much helped the couple who were distanced by time. Ginny and Harry were finally going to get more time together.

* * *

"So, what are you going to name your Pygmy Puff?" Ginny smiled kindly at the little girl before her as she rounded up her purchase at the counter.

The girl who was probably not more than six bit her lip as she gave Ginny's question a thought. "Ummm… I don't know yet." She said pouting cutely, warming Ginny's heart.

"You know, I have a Pygmy Puff too." Ginny told her –"His name is Arnold and he is pink."

The girl giggled at the thought of Ginny's pet named Arnold. "I think I'll name mine Daisy because she's yellow and bright like one!"

"That's a pretty name." Ginny said as she handed the girl's mother the packages she had wrapped up. –"You make sure you take good care of Daisy alright? Come back soon!" She waved as the girl and her mother exited the shop.

She greeted the next customer warmly before rounding up their purchases.

"Ginny! You've got an owl." Her brother George called from the back.

-"I'll be there in a minute." Ginny replied.

Wow, there was never a free moment at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Ginny thought as she made sure the sales report and money received from the sales were balanced before she handed the counter back to Verity. It hadn't been her purpose to help out when she had stepped into her brother's shop at Diagon Alley.

She had merely stopped by to greet them and pass the time as she waited for her boyfriend. It had been, she checked her watch, a little over two hours since she was due to meet Harry and there was no sign of him. Giving Verity a quick smile, she headed to the back where George had placed her letter.

Upon further inspection, she realised that it was not even a letter. It was a note.

_Ginny, _

_I won't be able to make it to Diagon Alley today. Urgent Ministry business, Hermione will be placing orders for our books. _

_Harry_

She crushed the parchment as she willed herself to calm down. Her emotions were on the high at present as she was plagued with hurt and disappointment. His handwriting was barely legible. He did not even apologise in his note. Did it not matter that he promised her that they would spend the day together?

Even a little 'X' in the note would have left her not feeling too bad about it. She took a deep breath before grabbing a quill and scribbling a quick note on the same parchment.

_I'll go shopping for my own. I have nothing better to do now anyway. – G_

She handed the note to the owl that the twins had used for their mail. Burying her face in her hands, she forced herself to return to her pleasant mood from earlier.

Donning a sunny smile, she grabbed her bag and stepped out of the room to kiss her brothers goodbye.

"So, what did the boyfriend want?" Fred grinned at her mischievously.

"Nothing –"She smiled innocently, -"Just a change in meeting place. I'll be off now." She hurried off before her shrewd brothers could notice anything off about her behaviour.

She barely took notice of her surroundings as she walked along the street. She was lost in her thoughts.

She was supposed to be the girlfriend of Harry Potter. She was essentially the support system to his well-balanced life. Yet, why did she feel so imbalanced herself? She was being irrational, she convinced herself. Harry wouldn't bail on her if it was not something important. He knew that it was imperative that they spend time together. He wanted that as well.

She shouldn't be angry, she justified to herself as she shopped for her back – to – school essentials. Disappointed, yes, but it wasn't right that she allow the disappointment to flood her expectations of her relationship. The perfect girlfriend wouldn't have minded, she told herself. She wouldn't be upset but instead she would stand beside Harry with dignity and grace, supporting him at each and every step of the way.

That was what she ought to do. That was what she was supposed to do and that was exactly what she was going to do. She had finally come to terms with the myriad of emotions that she had subconsciously dealt with not just today but in the last couple of months.

Ginny was so deep in her thoughts, she walked right into a wall causing her to drop her shopping all over the floor. Ouch! She had bumped her head on this wall. Dazed, she rubbed her head only to open her eyes and find herself to be staring at broad shoulders clad in grey robes.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled before bending down to pick up her things. Merlin, how on earth had the shop assistant packed them? Her books were strewn all over the floor as they had come out of the packaging.

"I'm not." The stranger replied. She hadn't bothered looking up at his face earlier. However, his voice made her go rigid. She looked up from the little mess to meet the cool grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.

He unnerved her, completely and entirely. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her heart rate had sped up and her eyes had widened. But of course, he need not know that.

"Malfoy." She said calmly, or well she hoped she sounded calm. –"I didn't see you there."

"Clearly." He remarked looking unruffled. –"It's nice to see that some things don't change." He gestured towards the books that Ginny held in her hands. They looked as though they had been used by a couple of generations to say at the least.

He was mocking her family, she realised. Of the poverty that had previously been there. Their finances were better now. Not on the same train as the Malfoys clearly but the resources were enough to keep the family satisfied. Purchasing second hand books was something that Ginny had done all her life and as a creature of habit, she had continued this time.

She glared at him, -"There is nothing wrong with purchasing second hand books, Malfoy."

"Now that is subjective." He raised an eyebrow at her clearly indicating his views on the subject matter.

Ginny was well, speechless. She could not think of a witty comeback, for his words, however snotty had truth to them. Before she could even formulate a reply however, he continued in his usual superior tone.

"Well, as much as I'd love to discuss this over tea, Princess, I actually came here for another reason." He drawled.

Ginny frowned as she looked up at him from where she was currently squatting. She waved her wand, arranging her fallen books into a stack.

"Well, are you going to tell me or what?" She asked, annoyed.

"You know, if I were you, I'd be wary of my surroundings. It is very easy to ensnare a girl like yourself in a deserted alley. Moreover, you're Potter's princess….." He trailed off.

"And your point is?" Ginny retorted realising that she and Malfoy weren't exactly in the most crowded of areas. Damn her and her supreme idiocy. She always messed up when she was upset.

He merely shrugged –"I'll be seeing you. Remember what I said, Princess. There are people out there who want to take a bite out of you. I'd be wary if I were you."

Before she could decipher what he said, he vanished. Or well, disapparated right before her eyes.

And she was left standing there feeling more unnerved than ever. What in the name of Merlin did he mean by that? And… Princess…?

* * *

_**Hey everyone! So, it's been a while hasn't it? I had an awfully busy couple of months plus this chapter was under construction for quite some time before I was finally pleased enough to post it. **_

_**So I really appreciate the support I've been receiving so far but I'm really going to need continuous input on this story. I'm venturing out of my comfort zone and I would really love it if I could receive some constructive criticism, just so that I can be sure that I'm not creating a disaster or something that'd leave me with a permanent writer's block. **_

_**Please do leave a review! Your comments are greatly appreciated. If you have questions, leave me a platform where I can reply to you. Whether its tumblr or whatever social media.**_

_**On a side note, I am now a fully qualified paralegal who will never put those skills to test! (I graduated! Thank the heavens!)**_

_**Take care &amp; hope everyone is doing great! **_

_**MBAxoxo**_

_**P.S: REVIEW &amp; make a girl's day. Also, more Draco to come in the next chapter. **_


	5. Chapter 4

**Caged**

**Chapter 4.**

The rest of summer flew by rather quickly as Ginny found ways to occupy her time. She created a workout regime for herself to get herself in better shape for Quidditch and fitness in general. She baked, improving her culinary skills in the kitchen tremendously and she helped her brothers, Fred and George with their shop by manning the sales counter.

The first day of September had finally arrived. For as long as she could remember, this day held great significance in Ginny's life. It started as a childish whine to go with her eldest brother, Bill when he started schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and slowly grew as her subsequent brothers went.

She remembered crystal clear the day when she was due to start at Hogwarts. Her excitement, her fears, her first year had been memorable and not necessarily in a good way. Instead of broaching those memories, she decided that the past was often better left in the past. She focused on how she was feeling instead on this particular morning and found that it was not much different from her first year.

She tied her hair into a ponytail as she stepped out of her bed glancing at her roommate and soul sister who was fast asleep. Even the brightest witch of the age deserved to sleep in, she smiled to herself as she changed into her workout gear. Hermione was going to be miffed at her for not rousing her out of her sleep.

With that thought, she exited from her bedroom only to head towards the vast fields she had spent most of her summer at.

* * *

Her eyes were closed as she tightened her grip on her trolley and broke into a run through the barrier that would lead magical folk to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Ginny felt strangely wistful about the fact that she would not do this for years to come.

As she joined the rest of her family members, she took in the sight of the magnificent red steam engine that was the Hogwarts Express. It looked like an enlarged shiny, muggle toy. The platform was crowded with hundreds of relatively familiar faces of people who had survived the war. The turnout was definitely more than she had expected.

With her penchant for perusing, she observed that people, well the women especially, had donned darker colours that indicated the new fashion season as well as the seasonal climate change.

Ginny on the other hand had her hair up in a French braid; she also wore a white pullover over a sunny yellow summer dress with sneakers. Dresses were made for lazy days, she believed. She couldn't possibly care less about the fact that she was in sunny colours while everyone else looked positively dreary however she was sure that someone or another was going to comment on her choice of outfit. She was used to that kind of attention.

She briefly wondered where Neville and Luna were as she looked for them in the crowd. She had promised them through letters that they had exchanged over summer that they would properly catch up while on the Hogwarts Express.

"Looking for someone?" Harry asked as he slipped an arm around her waist.

"Just Neville and Luna –"She answered while giving up. It would definitely be easier to find them on the train.

Before he could reply to that, her father joined them –"My little girl is all grown up, eh?" Arthur Weasley joked as he pulled his daughter into a hug.

Most of her family members were here today to support her as she was the last generation of Weasleys to go to Hogwarts. It was her day, well kind of but she was sharing it with her boyfriend, her brother and Hermione.

It was her mother's turn to hug her next –"My beautiful baby girl." Sentimental tears welled up in Molly Weasley's eyes.

"Mum, I'm only going to school. You make it sound like I'm getting married." Ginny joked, trying to lighten up the mood as she patted her mum lightly on the back.

"Yeah, Mum." – Fred said in agreement before turning to her –"I'm sad too."

-"Not because you're headed off to school –"George inevitably joined in.

-"But because we are losing our little house elf..." The twins said together making Ginny laugh as she remembered how she helped them to take inventory and keep the joke shop neat and tidy.

-"I'm sure Mum's sad for that reason as well." George said, ducking before he earned a smack courtesy of Molly Weasley.

"You take good care of our sister, Harry." Fred said seriously earning an eye roll from Ginny. Please, she was legal now, definitely old enough to take care of herself.

"Yeah, old mate." George clumped her boyfriend on his back –"No letting her cavort off to open chambers and what not."

Harry laughed at this while Ginny threw George a dirty look. Ron and Hermione joined the conversation. They had volunteered to help gather the trunks up into the carriages.

"You won't bloody believe this!" Ron exclaimed as he came and stood beside Harry, Hermione right at his side.

He continued as everyone looked at him questioningly. –"They have seating arrangements for those who are not prefects!"

"That is new." Harry remarked.

-"New but not surprising –"Hermione agreed.

Ginny groaned at this news, she had looked forward to catching up with Luna. _Oh well_, she thought, _I can just catch up with them later or maybe if I'm lucky they'll be my partners._

"It's stupid!" Ron said irately.

"You're a Prefect." Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, but it means that we're probably going to have to do patrolling." He grumbled as he looked to his girlfriend who, incidentally was the Head Girl for confirmation.

Hermione nodded her head. –"Fights are definitely going to break out."

"Anyway, Harry you're at E5. You got Neville, Luna and Justin." Ron informed him.

"What about me?" Ginny asked.

"Er…. I didn't check." Ron replied sheepishly. –"But your trunks have been shifted to your compartment, you just have to check where it is."

"Thanks for the help, Ronald." Ginny said sarcastically.

Turning back to the rest of the family who had been catching up with people they knew, she bid them adieu.

"Mum, Dad… I'm going to make a move. I have to find my compartment since this idiot here conveniently forgot that he has a younger sister." Ginny hugged her parents and her twin brothers before walking in the direction that Ron had pointed.

"You ought to take better care of your sister, Ronald!" Her mother could be heard as she began one of her lectures on him.

"Ginny! Send us a toilet seat!" The twins yelled earning a few bewildered stares. Ginny's mood lightened up at this little inside joke between her and the twins.

She grinned and waved at them as she walked on with Harry. He was going to walk her to her seat and then head to his own compartment, she presumed.

"I wish I got Neville and Luna." Ginny said gloomily. –I'm envious of you now, Harry." Ginny complained although she did not really mean it. Well, maybe a little.

"Yeah, I'll be sitting with them swapping recipes with Luna and having a discussion on Mandrakes with Neville." Harry teased.

"Poor Justin will feel so left out." Ginny laughed.

"Well maybe it will turn out that he has a little crocheting hobby and he can give the rest of us tips." His green eyes sparkled good-naturedly as he joked with her.

"Yeah, you have fun with that." There was a crowd in front of the board where students had to find their placing. Ginny pushed her way through and searched for her name. She groaned when she saw the name of whom she will be forced to sit with through an entire day.

She did not bother looking at the rest of the names because she figured it simply could not get any worse. She'd take battle with a couple of Death – Eaters over this any day. Her patience would definitely be tested on the Hogwarts Express and everyone knew that Ginny Weasley was known for her lack of patience.

She pushed her way back to Harry. –"You'll never believe who is sharing the compartment with me!" She groaned.

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Romilda Bane" She replied with a dramatic roll of her eyes as she put her hand into his.

"I'm positive that her surname has a 'V' in it and not a 'B'" He replied as Ginny began leading the way to her compartment.

"Yeah, well she is the bane of my existence." She informed him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Gin. She is not the bane of your existence." Harry shook his head. Ginny could be overly dramatic when she expressed her distaste for things at times.

"Well, if she is not now then she will be in the next couple of hours." Ginny declared.

They had reached her compartment and she slid the door open to find it surprisingly empty. Her compartment mates had yet to arrive, she noted. She would have a pleasant few minutes of peace.

"Well, here we are." Harry gestured as he made himself comfortable by sitting down. He pulled Ginny gently so that she sat on his lap. He pushed the strands that had fallen out of her braid back and she leaned on his shoulder seeking the warmth and comfort his reliable shoulders provided.

"I've missed this." She said quietly.

"Well now that we're at Hogwarts, we will spend so much time together, you'll be longing for time away from me." Harry reassured her wearing a big smile.

She smiled back pulling him in for a kiss. He brushed his soft lips against hers and moved to kiss her forehead before shifting such that Ginny was no longer seated on his lap.

Harry stood up - "I'll head over to my compartment now. You'll be okay?" He asked.

Ginny nodded her head before giving him her most reassuring smile. –"I'll try my best to stay sane till we reach Hogwarts."

"No Bat-Bogey Hexes." He warned.

"Now you're pushing it…" She narrowed her brown eyes at him as he laughed and exited the compartment.

Ginny was alone in the compartment. She took out a gossip magazine she subscribed to and tried to read. Her mind was too restless to do so however as her thoughts were racing like wild horses. This would be one of the last times that she would be sitting in the Hogwarts Express and she couldn't sit with her friends because of the arrangements.

Perhaps it had something to do with promoting inter-house unity or noting how the students would take to seeing other notable and possibly infamous students returning. Perhaps it was a safety measure. She didn't know.

She tried to memorize the look of the compartment that had shared many wonderful memories over the years. Jesting about The Quibbler to Luna Lovegood, trading gossips with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown when they once shared the compartment, chatting with Neville, sharing the compartment with Harry, Hermione and Ron when there were dementors on the Hogwarts Express, and playing Exploding Snap with Colin and Dennis Creevey.

Her mood dampened as she remembered the brothers and their enthusiasm for everything. Both Colin and Dennis Creevey were lives that were gone too soon. The war had truly destroyed and changed so many things. Hopefully, things would take a turn for the better without Voldemort or a corrupt, pureblood supremacist ministry.

Ginny was so caught up in her musings; she almost did not notice the quiet sliding of the compartment door_. It wasn't like Romilda to make an inconspicuous entry, _she thought wryly to herself. It was probably another one of her seatmates. She turned her attention to the world outside her window.

Having to return to work, her family had long since left once everyone was settled. Her seatmate was rather silent, she noted. She was expecting a greeting as it was most polite. She turned to see a dark – skinned boy settling in.

He looked familiar although she couldn't quite place him. When he turned, she understood why. He was in Slytherin, she realised as she took in the emerald-green badge on his black Hogwarts robes. He was good – looking, tall and dignified with high cheekbones and dark eyes, very much like the models featured in spreads for brand advertisements in the magazines she read.

As she studied him, his eye caught hers however he barely spared her a glance, dismissing her once he took in her appearance. Like her, he too opened a piece of literature that looked very much like the books Hermione kept with her for a bit of 'light' reading.

Looks like this ride to Hogwarts was going to be a little more than uncomfortable, Ginny shook her head ridding herself of her inner musings. The sliding door opened with a bang causing the person who was entering to curse aloud.

"Fuck!" The platinum blonde male cussed as he entered the compartment. He slammed his backpack on the compartment bench beside the boy from Slytherin. Ginny's heart quite literally sank as she took in his appearance.

At this point, sitting through the ride to Hogwarts with Romilda Vane sounded like a very trivial issue.

The blonde male proceeded to lift his trunk up to the compartment while muttering something unintelligible.

"Well, good afternoon to you too, Malfoy." The Slytherin who already sat greeted him wearing an amused smirk on his face. –"Took you long enough."

"Fuck off, Zabini." Malfoy replied evenly as though he was used to this sort of banter. Ginny decided that her attention was better off being focused elsewhere instead of what was taking place before her. She averted her eyes back to her magazine wishing she could blend with the walls.

Why hadn't she checked the seating plan thoroughly? Harry would have probably changed seats with her in a heartbeat, rules be damned.

"Drink too much lately?" The Slytherin boy apparently going by Zabini continued goading Malfoy.

"Fuck off, Zabini." Malfoy said while rubbing his head wearing a tired expression on his face. –"I'm nursing a fucking nasty hangover now. I fucking forgot to take a hangover potion."

Ginny winced as she overheard him swearing. Her eyes riveted between her magazine and the two boys from Slytherin.

"Well, no one asked you to drink Russian vodka after you practically inhaled a bottle of Fire Whiskey." Zabini said while smirking.

Malfoy proceeded to glare at him before breaking into a wicked grin. –"I have no regrets. Volkova was amazing. I had a fucking amazing time. Russian girls and Russian vodka…. What can I say?" He rubbed his head.

He hadn't taken his eyes off her the minute he noted her presence. It was hard to miss really, small compartment, fiery red hair and all that. While Ginny stared at her magazine studiously pretending to be caught up with whatever she was doing, she was actually eavesdropping. And somehow, she knew that he was aware of that as well.

She hated the game of cat and mouse that they were playing. It made her feel vulnerable. She willed herself to ignore him; no one had the right to make her feel out of sorts. She stared at the magazine, the article being an exclusive interview of the man who cheated on her mother's favourite singer, Celestina Warbeck.

"Princess…" Malfoy drawled –"Why don't you put that magazine down? Unless I missed a memo, I don't believe the tabloids have resorted to using runes to draft a little piece of gossip, have they? You've stared at the same article for the last five minutes." He finished rather sarcastically.

She was not going to let him bait her. She was not going to let him bait her. She was not going to let him bait her.

_Oh to hell with that_, she thought. Pursing her lips, she closed her magazine shut as she looked up to meet his eyes.

"Your vocabulary is awfully colourful or is today a special day?" Her tone was cool and her smile sweeter than all of Honeydukes' Sugar Quills put together.

"It is now." He simpered as he eyed her from head to toe.

Even Harry couldn't be mad at her if she decided to hex Malfoy. Her hands twitched to grab her beloved wand.

_Stupid, infuriating git, _Ginny cursed mentally. He seemed to gain an upper hand in this conversation.

The Hogwarts Express had commenced when Malfoy had entered her compartment. Now, the train rumbled past valleys. Ginny had a beautiful view of lush greenery from her window seat.

She huffed as she picked up her magazine again. Unfortunately, Celestina Warbeck's cheating beau was not enough to keep her attention. She could feel Draco's eyes on her.

She slammed the magazine shut. –"What is your problem, Malfoy?" She demanded feeling extremely irate.

He shrugged –"I'm just admiring the view."

Her eyes widened at his comment. –"Well, stop because you won't like the view so much when you get hexed."

Zabini cleared his throat rather conspicuously interrupting the little stare down the two of them were having.

"I don't know about you, Malfoy, but I would like to reach Hogwarts in one piece." He said while giving Malfoy a look that basically translated to "Shut the hell up and sit down."

Zabini threw a similar look to Ginny which she grudgingly accepted. The silence that followed was temporary before Malfoy began another conversation with Zabini. It was an extremely uncomfortable conversation for Ginny to overhear. For one, it was not the kind of conversation that a gentleman had in front of a lady. She would die if she heard Harry utter those words that came out of Malfoy's mouth about his Russian conquest.

It also planted rather explicit images in Ginny's head. Draco Malfoy was an insufferable git, she thought to herself as she slammed her magazine shut. The poor magazine had born the brunt of her frustration today. She needed to find the cart lady to buy sweets or else she would combust.

She had wanted this train ride to be memorable; she thought sourly, _it was definitely memorable but not at all in a pleasant way. _

As she walked down the compartments in search for the cart lady, she deliberated her choice of sweets. She loved Sugar Quills but she was positive that if she bought those sweets, Malfoy would turn it into something dirty. She could picture him saying something vulgar about her sucking techniques. He was just that kind of a git. Eventually, she settled for Cauldron Cakes and a Chocolate Frog.

She had wanted to visit her brother and Hermione in the Prefect's compartment but changed her mind. Despite that the Golden Trio had reached an odd sort of truce with Malfoy, his name was more often than not enough to enrage Ron. Neither Harry nor Hermione would be comfortable with her sharing a compartment with him. They would insist that she moved.

Although, to put it lightly, she hated her present company, Ginny believed that she could take care of herself. She wasn't about to let any of them fight her battles for her.

Neither Slytherin boys were present, she noted as she entered the compartment. Perhaps she would have a couple more minutes of peace. She took a bite out of her Cauldron Cake. As she enjoyed the little treat, she decided that it was best she get changed into the school uniform.

She began to lift up her pullover when the compartment door slid open effectively startling her.

"Oh you were about to change." Malfoy stated the obvious while eyeing her as she clutched her pullover. She had a dress beneath the pullover but he made her uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

He sat down, stretching his legs out, leaning back while putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, don't let me keep you from doing what you have to do." He gestured grandly as though she was a stripper and he was paying for a show.

Ginny stared at him incredulously, -"Are you serious, Malfoy?"

"Actually…." She continued before he could reply –"Don't even answer that question. I don't want to know if you are. I think I might hex you and as much as I am itching to. You're not worth it." She glared at him.

Malfoy remained silent all throughout, watching her as though he was watching that muggle box with moving people that Hermione had introduced to her once.

When she stopped, Malfoy replied sounding as cool as a cucumber. –"I'm not going to leave the compartment. So if you want to change, you can do it here. Or step outside. Personally, I'd prefer it to be here."

Ginny willed herself to keep calm. He was not worth hexing, or detention. He was not worth anything really, in her opinion. If she opened her mouth, things would get really ugly. It was for the best if she left the room.

She grabbed her uniform and all the other items that she was positive she would need for the rest of this ride. Her trunk would be transported to the castle.

She stepped on Malfoy's feet making him wince. –"Does your family spend every Knut they own on food, Princess?"

"You really don't want to talk about families with me, Malfoy." She warned him.

"Fair enough -" He nodded his head making her glance at him in surprise.

She slid the door open and as she was leaving, Malfoy repeated what he said on their previous meeting. –"Remember what I said, Princess. There are people out there who want to take a bite out of you."

"Yeah, well. The only one who seems to want to do so appears to be you so excuse me while I prefer anybody but present company."

And with that last retort, she slammed the compartment door shut.

* * *

_**I think my characterization of Draco is a little different from my other stories and the badboy, suave but charming Draco that we all know and love. I'm curious though…. How many of you guys like this characterization of our dearest Slytherin bad boy?**_

_**Anyway, the feedback has been great, small but nevertheless significant, pleasing &amp; encouraging. We have to start from somewhere and somehow with Caged, I feel like I'm writing my first story all over again. There is nervousness, excitement, anticipation to see how the story, the chapter and everything else are received. Thank you guys for that! **_

_**Lots of love!**_

_**Till the next update (which will hopefully be sooner than this one), **_

_**MBAxoxo**_


	6. Chapter 5

**Caged. **

**Chapter 5.**

* * *

Although Ginny was knackered from the train ride to Hogwarts, she took a long time falling asleep on the first night. There were about a gazillion things on her mind. For instance, her seating partner on the Hogwarts Express; what on earth was he referring to?

"There are people out there who want to take a bite out of you." That was not the first time Malfoy had uttered something like that. In fact, he mentioned it every time he met her which incidentally was rather frequent.

Now that she considered it, she had seen more of Draco Malfoy over the summer than she had of her closest friends. What were the odds really? His words felt like a warning of some sort. A bloody ambiguous one, Ginny thought to herself irritatedly as she turned on her four poster bed. People were dying to take a bite out of her. It came with the price of being recognized as someone even though the fame was merely by association.

Recently everything Ginny did was under constant scrutiny. From the way she dressed to the way she ate and not at all forgetting her relationship with the Boy Who Saved the Wizarding World. She had thought that returning to Hogwarts would lessen the pressure instead, the opposite happened. Barely an hour in the Great Hall and Ginny was explaining her 'beauty regime' to young girls who soaked up every single word.

Even her boyfriend had jokingly remarked that perhaps she should start her own fan club. Once he felt better that is.

Oh Harry….

Returning to Hogwarts was hard for him. She didn't blame him for that though. Barely a year back, the school grounds was a bloodied site filled with bodies of the good and bad alike. It was the very same place where Harry had defeated Lord Voldemort for the last time. The last of his family had died there, Lupin and Tonks.

Ginny's heart ached as she thought of the young woman whom she looked up to as an elder sister. As a Metamorphmagus, Tonks would change her hair to match Ginny's scarlet length as well as her features so that they would look like sisters. Ginny adored her for that. And Lupin, Professor Lupin, he was so worldly with his knowledge and eyes that made him look way older than his years. He was a remarkable man.

Her thoughts shifted back to Harry as she remembered that she was supposed to be wallowing in guilt. Harry's expression had changed when he had seen the Thestrals. Thestrals were ominous looking, skeletal winged horses. They were only visible to those who had seen death. Thestrals in Hogwarts are used to transport the older students to the castle. Harry had looked stricken.

Although it wasn't his first time, that he was able to see the creatures served as a reminder to the fact that he had seen death too many times in his short, heroic life. It became progressively worse as the scenic view of the majestic castle came within sight. Harry was pale. His breathing was almost shallow as though he was on the verge on a panic attack. Somehow, he managed to snap himself out of it although it did need some chocolate consumption.

Both Hermione and Ron were worried and they were ready to turn back if Harry wanted to leave. Harry's reply to their query though quiet and simple, held so much of meaning.

"Hogwarts will always be home."

He had the comfort of his best friends and realizing that her presence was rather redundant in face of those whom were present, Ginny just sat back feeling like the worst girlfriend ever. She hadn't made the effort to comfort him or even squeeze his hand in support. Luna who had been in the same carriage as them was the pillar of support that Ginny should have been.

It had not occurred to her that her boyfriend could be in need of professional psychiatric help. It was absolutely normal to be deeply affected when surrounded by such tragedies. Harry had been through so much. From losing his parents at a tender age to the abuse he received from his extended family, losing Sirius, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Lupin and Tonks.

He was accompanied by a mental trauma. He was quiet all through the feast, probably recalling that the Great Hall assembled all the bodies of the victims. In fact, it had been a relatively sombre feast with Professor McGonagall urging for a change in societal views. Her speech had been phenomenal. Although her voice quivered at times, there had been power in her words. They had also taken a minute to pay their respects to the dead.

Colin Creevey then came to Ginny's mind. He had been one of Ginny's closest friends in her year. He was an aspiring photographer. He would never be able to do all that he dreamt of doing. Hopefully, the afterlife was a better place to be in.

Although Ginny was relatively popular, she wasn't close to many people. Without Colin, she was left with a handful of friends including Luna Lovegood. Luna, she decided wasn't one of her favourite persons in the world at the moment. A snide voice in Ginny's head had pointed out that the only reason Ginny didn't fancy Luna was because she did what Ginny couldn't. She was a source of comfort to Harry.

Her emotions were out-of-place. She was anxious, guilty, jealous, stressed, upset etc. It was late by the time her sleepiness overrode her thoughts. She barely slept for an hour before it was time for her to wake up and get ready for her classes. It was like first year all over again for Ginny.

She was a bundle of nerves internally but a picture of calm externally. Her uniform was crisp, clean and brand new. She had adjusted her skirt so that it was short enough to show off her toned legs but decent enough to meet the school rules. Her red hair was slicked back into a high pony tail. She used glamour charms of course to hide the fact that she could not sleep. She kept her makeup minimal only opting to use lip-gloss.

To summarize it all, Ginny looked as fresh as a daisy but felt like a zombie. Her roommates were walking to the Great Hall together and they had asked her along. She followed them out of their dormitory and into the Great Hall. Being older, they made zero effort to keep her included in the conversation and she made no effort to join in.

Besides, Parvati Patil always had a slight grudge against her. She couldn't decide if it was because her brother had dumped Parvati's best friend or because Ginny was dating Harry. It was no secret that Parvati had held a candle for Harry in the past.

"I think Seamus is interested in me." Parvati could be heard telling the rest of Ginny's roommates. –"He asked me out during the feast."

Lavender Brown, Parvati's best friend forever and resident queen of gossip verified Parvati's statement. –"Yeah, he definitely is. I think he wants to ask you out to the Hogsmeade weekend in two weeks."

"I think so too!" Parvati said in excitement –"He was all, 'Parvati, do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade?' and I replied as coolly as I could 'We'll see', oh Merlin I'm so excited! He is so cute and his accent!"

"I hope he makes the Quidditch team again." Lavender said dreamily –"Those two are so easy on the eyes." She was referring to Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. As though an afterthought, Lavender realised that Ginny was with them.

"You don't mind, do you, Ginny?" She asked.

"Huh?" Ginny who was immersed in her own thoughts looked up.

"I'm interested in Dean. I thought you might want a heads up. You don't mind, do you?" Lavender asked once again.

Ginny shook her head and smiled. –"Dean and I are history. He is a nice guy though."

"I don't even know why you bothered asking." Parvati said frankly in front of Ginny. -"I'm positive that Ginny won't have a problem. I mean, she broke up with Dean for Harry."

Ginny felt her temper flaring but willed herself to keep calm. –"Actually, my reason for breaking up with Dean is personal but it's definitely not because of Harry." She corrected her.

Parvati had her own ideas of course, -"Well, you still won't have a problem anyway. Look at you, Harry treats you like a princess!" She sighed.

_Yeah, being treated like a princess means not seeing my boyfriend for weeks and when I finally do see him, he's traumatized and I didn't even consider that he would be. _Ginny thought to herself bitterly.

Externally however, she smiled. –"I'll see you girls in class alright? Harry is already at the breakfast table and I want to spend some time with him since we are probably going to have different timetables."

The Golden Trio looked up as Ginny approached the table. Harry greeted Ginny with a quick kiss as she sat down beside them. He looked tired, Ginny noted. He probably couldn't get to sleep last night. Her heart was burdened. She stroked his jet black hair lightly and caressed the shadows beneath his eyes while eyeing him questioningly.

He shook his head as though assuring her that it was nothing. She accepted it deciding to give Harry his space. This was not the time to broach the topic.

"So are the timetables out yet?" She asked as she poured herself a cup of English breakfast tea.

Ron nodded his head vigorously, his mouth stuffed with sausages as he nudged Hermione. Hermione wore a rather peculiar expression on her face as she eyed Ron. She shook her head before turning to Ginny, smiling while handing her the timetable.

Ginny studied her timetable carefully. Her first class after this was Potions with the Eighth year Slytherins. Her heart sank as she realised that she would once again face Draco Malfoy. She searched her timetable to find common classes with the Golden Trio but much to her chagrin, she did not find any.

"Is there an error in the timetable? We are supposed to have classes together, right?" She questioned, genuinely puzzled.

Hermione shook her head, "No. I got it cleared with McGonagall earlier. The timetables have been deliberately planned to cut old prejudices and promote unity among students."

"That just sucks." Ginny groaned. –"I thought we would have classes together."

Hermione nodded her head looking as disappointed as Ginny felt. –"If it makes you feel better, our assignments will be the same. At least we can study together. Goodness knows these two make horrendous study buddies." She gestured at the remaining two-thirds of the Golden Trio.

"Hey!" Harry protested indignantly though his green eyes danced with mischief. It was a relief to see a more cheerful looking Harry, Ginny thought as she helped herself to the English breakfast spread that was laid out before her. Harry helped pour her a goblet of iced pumpkin juice. Ginny protested as the goblet was full however he insisted that she would need the nutrients.

They further discussed the change of timetable and the imposing of such methods to promote unity. Harry and Ron were certain that there would be more fights among the students. After the war, it was likely that most students were hurting. It had barely been a year since the Ministry of Magic started to rebuild itself. Hermione on the other hand was not too sure. The rules of conduct had gotten updated and were far stricter this time. Her source of this information was of course from the most recent update of her favourite piece of literature, Hogwarts: A History.

The conversation took to a more interesting topic. Once again, Harry was Quidditch Captain for the Gryffindor team. As Ginny took a dainty bite out of her scrambled eggs and baked beans, Harry and Ron discussed when the trials should be held.

"I think I'm going to reprise most of the team." Harry said –"But there should definitely be try outs."

"It seems like a formality at this point." Ron agreed while waving his fork animatedly –"How about having the try outs next Wednesday? And having the confirmed team members list out by Friday afternoon?"

Hermione and Ginny both stared at Ron incredulously as it was the first time he sounded rather organised.

"What?" He frowned, defensive. –"It's Quidditch."

"Just glad to see that I have been a positive influence in making you organised in one aspect of your life." Hermione replied while pecking his cheek. Ron looked flushed but he wore a huge smile on his face.

Ginny's heart warmed at their cuteness. The couple had fought their feelings for one another for so long. They deserved to live in their own bubble of content.

Harry cleared his throat subtly, making his best friends grin at him sheepishly. –"I'm starting to feel like a third wheel as the days go by." He joked.

-"Coming back to the point, Ron, that's brilliant mate. We'll put up a notice later and ask Dean and the rest to come down for the try outs." Harry nudged Ginny. –"Our star Chaser should have some comments in this. What do you think?"

Ginny shrugged while wearing a huge smile on her face –"All I can say is that I can't wait for the season to begin."

She definitely had her game on. With nothing much to do the past summer, she spent most of her time playing her favorite sport, practicing and refining her skills. If nothing else, Ginny was positive that she would make her favorite team, the Holyhead Harpies once she graduated.

A quick glance at her watch informed her that she had to leave soon if she wanted to make it to the dungeons with a few minutes to spare.

"I have to leave now or else I will be late to Potions." Ginny said as she made move to grab her book bag. She planted a quick kiss on Harry's lips before waving to her brother and his girlfriend.

"Bye Ginny! Have a great first day!" Hermione greeted her warmly.

Ginny blew a kiss at her best friend before walking towards the exit of the Great Hall. She smiled warmly in greeting to some of the other students who waved at her.

Her warm expression vanished as her eyes drifted to the Slytherin table. She found herself on the receiving end of antagonistic glares of a few Slytherins. She recognised the few as Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Cassius Warrington and Gregory Goyle. Their glares were chilling. Disconcerted, Ginny found herself taking a step back nearly bumping into a fellow student.

Her near fall distracted her and when she looked to the Slytherin table again; her eyes met the cool, grey ones of Draco Malfoy, whom like the rest was staring at her. His gaze was expressionless but his eyes remained on her. Ginny did not know what to make of this and hurried out of the Great Hall.

The anxiety from last night resurfaced once again as Malfoy's words flashed in her mind.

"There are people out there who want to take a bite out of you."

Why on earth was she paying attention to Malfoy's words anyway? Her brain reasoned with her that credibility of a piece of information could only be substantiated by the character of someone and Malfoy was no Mr Congeniality. He was a Deatheater through and through. It didn't matter that Narcissa Malfoy saved her boyfriend's life by lying to the Dark Lord. It didn't matter that the Malfoys deflected from the war.

What mattered most was the Dark Mark tainted his skin putting him in support of a supremacist society. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't realize she had made it to the dungeons right on time until she was greeted by the professor himself.

"Ah, Miss Weasley…the little spitfire… -"Professor Slughorn greeted her amicably. –"I noticed that you did not attend my little gathering. Did you not receive my invitation?"

She was positive that it was clear from her face that she had indeed received an invitation to his little 'Slug Club' party on the Hogwarts Express.

"Sorry, Professor…. I got caught up with…. Other…. Things…" She finished lamely.

"Don't get caught up next time, Miss Weasley." Professor Slughorn chided, his eyes crinkling as he smiled broadly and pompously, very much like a politician. –"You have to come the next time of course with young Harry of course!"

She nodded her head wordlessly. She had long since learnt from her fifth year that it was always a good idea to let Professor Slughorn finish speaking.

"If you could also convey my message to Miss Granger and your brother, it would be an absolute pleasure to see them as well during the next session."

"Yes Professor –"She replied while smiling. She would convey the message to them but it was really their choice.

The "Slug Club" was a fine waste of time in her opinion. It comprised Professor Slughorn's handpicked, prized students whom were recognized for something or another. It could be anything under the sun; whether it was blood ties to someone great or being the Brightest Witch of the Age or the Boy Who Lived or the Boy Who Got Past McGonagall's Giant Chess Set.

Ginny herself was selected because Professor Slughorn had caught her performing her signature curse on a fellow student on the Hogwarts Express a couple of years back. The gathering was a waste of time but the food was good.

The rest of her classmates began piling into the dungeon classroom. As always, there was a noticeable division of students; Gryffindors sat on the right side of the classroom and Slytherins sat on the left side. This did not go amiss by Professor Slughorn.

"Oh ho! Did we not pay attention to Professor Mcgonagall's fine speech about removing barriers that divide us and grievances?" He roared looking too much like a jolly Santa Claus.

The class did not respond. Professor Slughorn did not seem to mind the lack of response however and he began a new seating arrangement that forced a mix of Slytherin and Gryffindor students.

The only equality Ginny noticed was the similarity in expressions of both houses. Both the Gryffindor and the Slytherins looked as though they were asked to swallow wedges of lemons. Professor Slughorn spent the first half an hour of their three-hour class occupied with the arrangements.

Ginny's partner was Valencia Paulos, a Grecian Gryffindor girl whom she only knew briefly. She got transferred to the left side of the classroom. Like everyone else, she was to be seated with someone from Slytherin. Professor Slughorn was paying attention to another empty seat where he shifted Zabini to sit with another Gryffindor.

Ginny was left to her own thoughts. As she remembered the glares she received earlier from Parkinson, Warrington and the rest, she briefly hoped that she wouldn't be seated with any of them for the rest of the year. The seat beside her was no longer vacant, before she knew it. She looked up only to see Malfoy moving his stuff to Valencia's former seat.

Her eyes widened when she realized that Malfoy had not been assigned to sit beside her. He voluntarily placed his belongings and was now occupying the seat. _This could not be good,_ she thought to herself. She knew that if she protested, everyone would think that she was being a brat because of the infamous Malfoy – Weasley feud. Hence, she kept her mouth shut while glaring daggers at Malfoy who was blatantly ignoring her and staring at the black chalkboard while wearing a bored yet superior expression.

Professor Slughorn, as expected, did not realize that he had not assigned Malfoy to sit beside Ginny. Lessons commenced with Professor Slughorn briefing them on the syllabus for the upcoming N.E. . Apparently, Potions was an important subject for future Healers, Aurors and a few other professions but Ginny had zoned out.

The only reason why she was back in Hogwarts was because her mother was unable to accept another child without N.E.W.T certification. Otherwise, what importance did Potions have to Quidditch? Indeed it made sense to master the art of whipping up Skele – Gro but most remedies were available over the counter these days.

Besides, Skele – Gro was fourth year Potions. As Ginny's mind wandered, she noticed the platinum blonde Slytherin beside her. In fact, she paid more attention to him than anything else throughout the lesson. He seemed to be listening intently to the lesson; scribbling and making annotations wherever necessary.

Ginny was surprised; she had expected the entire lesson to be filled with taunts. Malfoy however, barely spared her as much as a glance. The instructions for the potion were listed out on the chalkboard. Professor Slughorn had instructed them to work on a highly complicated and complex potion that every magical being takes for granted; a headache relief potion.

From the instructions available, Ginny deduced that it was fairly easy for her to brew the potion. However, it was important that the ingredients were accurately measured as a single error would cause the entire remedy to become poisonous and of no use.

Malfoy was well caught up with the task on hand. He chopped the ingredients finely and with such precision, he reminded Ginny of a professional chef. Ginny worked on her own potion although her mind was focused on anything but. Her thoughts flew to her heroic boyfriend.

"Weasley!" Ginny jumped, snapping back into reality.

She turned only to see Malfoy staring at her, a frown on his pale face.

"You're supposed to chop thyme into fine pieces. If you're going to put _that _–"he gestured to the herb on her work space –"Your potion will explode."

Ginny looked down at aforementioned herb that she almost placed into her cauldron. It looked as though it had barely been touched by her. Malfoy was right, she thought internally while feeling disgruntled.

"Thanks –"She muttered. It was kind of nice of him to look out for her. He spoke to her without a taunt. That appeared to be an achievement of some sort.

"Oh no, don't thank me. I was just looking out for myself. Wouldn't want to land myself in the Hospital Wing on my first day back or have my shoes destroyed. They were made from dragonskin you know. It probably costs more than your house." He replied as he stirred his potion lazily.

It appears that Ginny spoke too soon. Malfoys could never be nice. And to think she was stuck with him seated by her side for the rest of the year.

_May the divine powers have mercy on her._

* * *

_**Woohoo nearly 4000 words! A lengthy update! **_

_**Hello lovelies! I am back. It's been an interesting 4 months. I've started university (well the foundations at least &amp; classes begin in January) so I am a bit of a busy little bee. I'll try to churn out the next update as soon as possible so keep an eye out. **_

_**Hope this chapter opens you up to Ginny's perspective a little. She is basically, Caged.**_

_**I hope you guys like the story enough to leave your wonderful wonderful reviews &amp; hit the favourite/ story alert button. If you wish to receive a reply, leave me a medium through which I can get back to you on. **_

_**If you like Caged, let your friends know! Your families know. Basically, let the entire world know! **_

_**Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas &amp; a Happy New Year; Seasonal Greetings &amp; Happy Holidays.**_

_**MBAxoxo **_


	7. Chapter 6

**Caged**

**Chapter 6.**

* * *

The first two weeks, though stressful flew by really quickly. Between minor preparations for the NEWTS, gearing up for the Quidditch tryouts, paying attention in class, arguing with Malfoy during Potions and attempting to finish the growing pile of assignments, Ginny managed to exhaust herself wholly and completely. The professors were brutal in their attempts to make up for the horrifying education experience the previous year. Quidditch try – outs were downright cruel although Ginny worked her way through all challenges before her. Harry had shown no mercy to her. His reason was that he wanted everyone to know that she deserved the spot as Chaser. Gossip took a whole new level when one was famous.

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend, the first after months of dread and fear. The magical village was packed with students and residents alike. The noise, though boisterous, was a change that was whole-heartedly embraced by everyone who experienced the eerie silence amidst the patrol of trademark Deatheater robes. Ginny was out on a date with her boyfriend. No wait, pigs may fly, should that happen or maybe snowballs won't melt in inferno. Yes, Ginny Weasley was out, indeed. She was with her boyfriend, indeed. She was also with the rest of the newly-formed Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Annoyed was an understatement when describing the state of Ginny's temperament. She was mad as hell. Harry had promised her that they would go out on Saturday after practice that morning. Just the two of them, he had said. Now, there was a whole party of Gryffindors. She was friends with most of them, really. There was her fellow Chaser, Demelza Robins, her ex-boyfriend cum fellow Chaser, Dean Thomas, her brother Ron, the fellow beaters Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coot. She did not quite know the rest. They were younger than her by a couple of years. Hermione was present too.

She had been looking forward to Saturday with Harry. Time together was almost long overdue. Ron and Hermione spent time together all the bloody time. It was an unfair comparison really but she felt that Harry was being unreasonable. It all but started after Quidditch practice that morning. The team was in great spirits although they were drenched and covered in sweat, dirt and muck. Harry had grinned proudly and suggested that the team bond over a couple of drinks at the Three Broomsticks. Much to Ginny's horror, everyone was agreeable, well, except her.

As the rest of the team left to their respective changing rooms, Ginny glared accusingly at Harry.

"You said that we would spend time together on Saturday!" She accused while pointing a finger at him. She wished it was her wand instead.

Harry merely shrugged, a complete prick move on his part, "It's good for the team. Surely, you'd understand that." He smiled at her reassuringly although his green eyes were transparent, he was indifferent towards her feelings.

Although Ginny was upset, she chose to quell her anger with sarcasm. "Your consideration towards my feelings is greatly appreciated." She said before stomping off towards the girls' locker room. Harry did not attempt to console her instead choosing to walk towards the male changing rooms.

Hours later and the ire within her had yet to set. She was upset but she was upholding her duty as the supportive girlfriend and fellow Chaser on the Quidditch team. Although they were out together and Harry's hand was wrapped around her waist, they had barely spoken two lines. Harry was laughing with the rest while Ginny accompanied him feeling and looking like a trophy.

Sometimes Harry felt like a complete stranger to her. She felt immensely frustrated but it was best not to dwell. Perhaps Harry was right, she should be more understanding and supportive. He saved the future of the wizarding world! He was everybody's hero, she attempted to explain it to herself. Lately, though it seemed that he had time for everybody but her. Once again, she tried to shake off the darkness her thoughts were leading her to.

Ginny always claimed that she loved Quidditch. She of all people should know that team bonding was essential to victory. She was being irrational, she told herself as they walked into The Three Broomsticks. She was being a clingy girlfriend, something she swore to herself that she would never be, should she ever date the boy she grew up adoring.

The pub was packed with the locals and students alike. Incidentally, the pub was holding a "one – for one" offer and hence there was quite the queue up until the doorstep.

"Bloody hell! Look at the queue!" Ron cussed while completely missing Hermione's severe look. Harry nodded in agreement as the rest of the team went ahead to join the queue.

"Do you think we can get a booth for everybody?" Hermione asked as she took in the packed surroundings.

Ginny felt her temper flare. Why was Hermione even here? It was supposed to be Quidditch team bonding!

"We most certainly can." Harry said while smiling broadly. It was a different kind of smile, Ginny realized as she took in her boyfriend's expression. He looked handsome as ever but the smile was different, she couldn't quite put a name on it.

He walked towards the counter where Madam Rosmerta stood, waving her wand wildly to serve the crowd. Ginny felt a pang of jealousy in her chest as she watched the well – endowed woman greet her boyfriend while planting kisses on both his cheeks. They spoke for a bit before Harry walked back to where Ginny stood with Hermione and Ron.

"What was that all about, mate?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged, "Just making sure that there are enough seats for all of us."

In the meantime, Ginny's eyes were focused on Madam Rosmerta as though she was a Quaffle. Madam Rosmerta summoned an assistant to serve the customers in line and she exited the sales counter. The middle – aged woman sashayed through the pub, her curves garnering the admiration of adolescent males. She stopped at a big group of students, bending down to talk to them. Ginny's eyes widened in shock as she realized what Madam Rosmerta was doing. True to Ginny's mental conspiracy theory, Madam Rosmerta had asked the other students to leave to accommodate to Harry's guests. She winked at Harry seductively and gestured for him to come over to the empty seats.

"Thank you, Madam Rosmerta." Harry smiled broadly, leaning forward to peck the woman's cheek.

"Anything for a hero, Mr Potter." Madam Rosmerta's seductive smile was making Ginny's blood boil over. –"Now how about I bring you and Mr. Weasley here our finest bottle of Firewhiskey? "

Ron looked as though Christmas had come early. Hermione had a look of disapproval on her face but she refrained from commenting.

Harry nodded his head, -"That sounds about great. What will you have, Hermione? Ginny?"

"I'll have the Tongue Tying Lemon Squash with a drizzle of honey." Hermione replied politely while smiling at Madam Rosmerta.

"Ginny?" Harry asked as the rest of the team approached, drinks in hand.

"I don't want anything." Ginny replied acidly. The Golden Trio looked at her in surprise probably by her tone. Dean Thomas, Ginny's ex – boyfriend and a fellow member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team gaped at the couple.

Harry frowned –"Ginny we talked about this. Stop being a child. Now, will you please tell me what you want?"

Did he just call her a child? A CHILD? Her temptation to hex the prick out of him was never greater however she restrained herself.

"What I want, Harry? You can't give me what I want. Enjoy your little party." Ginny stood up furiously, swinging her satchel onto her shoulder. –"You know what, Luna just entered, there you go, one more guest to bask in your festivities and team bonding." She stomped out towards the exit of the Three Broomsticks pub nearly knocking over the dreamy – eyed, blonde Ravenclaw girl.

"What a bitch. I'd be all over Harry if he was my boyfriend." Ginny overheard one of the younger reserve players she did not know too well remark to another team mate.

"Harry doesn't deserve her. He deserves better." The fellow gossip – monger remarked snidely as Ginny walked past her.

She nearly knocked over students in line as well as those who were entering in her haste to leave the pub. She felt suffocated in there and it was not because of the crowd. Studiously avoiding eye – contact with anyone, Ginny walked down the brightly lit, happy looking street without any sense of destination or direction for that matter. The cool autumn air stroked her cheeks. Ginny hadn't realized it but she was crying. Her tears of hurt, anger, pent – up frustration that she had bottled within herself for months had apparently reached its limit.

_Why did they even get back together after the war if he was going to treat her this way? _

Once again, her mind was in turmoil with her heart. Her heart pleaded that she be more understanding and supportive towards Harry. Her mind on the other hand was hurt and angry. She couldn't be supportive or understanding because Harry was not letting her be there for him. At this point in time, she was only present whenever necessary.

She adored Harry, for goodness sake. At one point in their relationship, it felt as though the feelings were mutual too. Now, it felt as though he was not even her warm, loving Harry anymore. He was no longer the boy who made her starry – eyed or dizzy with innocent desire to be safe in his arms. He had used his fame to get them seats. Her Harry would never have done that. He was considerate. Ginny never felt more alone. She wished that she could share her feelings with someone or something but she did not have anyone exclusive and the incident with the Chamber of Secrets led her towards fearing pouring her heart out into any non – living material.

No, she was not going to be the only one who was upset about this. She was going to confront Harry. She wiped her tears away furiously. Crying was for pansies. Ginny hated crying. As her thoughts proceeded to rationalize itself, she looked up, finally taking in her surroundings. The sky was a crossover between periwinkle and cobalt blue signifying that it was dusk. It also signified that curfew was over a long, long time ago. She had been so caught up in her own emotions, she had lost sense of everything. The Weasley temper was definitely a bane.

She proceeded to divert, following the twinkling path that the fairy lights had created. Residents who walked by eyed her disapprovingly. Anyone who lived in Hogsmeade was aware of the curfew imposed on Hogwarts students. It was evident that Ginny had missed curfew. The school was extremely particular about curfew especially since the wizarding world was focusing on rebuilding itself from the wake the war had caused. There goes at least a month's worth of Hogsmeade trips, Ginny thought with a sigh. She knew the consequences of breaking rules and especially under Professor McGonagall's severe rule.

Thankfully McGonagall was a Quidditch fanatic or else she would probably be barred from playing as well, Ginny thought to herself as she walked up the cold, lonely path that only led one to castle property. She was surrounded by tall, dark trees that made the path look scarier than it was supposed to be. Usually, the path would be filled with students chatting away as they walked back to school, now that it was empty, she was feeling a little anxious. She quickened her pace as she reached the castle that was now brightly lit. Everyone was probably at the Great Hall, she deduced as she took in the magical barriers that guarded the school's entrance from Hogsmeade.

The weather had grown frosty as twilight wore on, Ginny was beginning to shiver from the cold and the atmosphere of the environment. It was oddly eerie and the dark was beginning to frighten her a little. Her thoughts were running wild. A Butterbeer sounded heavenly at this time. Hopefully she would be able to get some from the kitchens.

As she approached the gate, she was greeted by a reproachful sounding Mrs. Norris. Mrs. Norris was the cat and well, wife (as some mean students would say) of the school's caretaker, a grumpy Squib who was the caretaker of Hogwarts. His biggest dream was to have a student expelled, courtesy of yours truly. Ginny was fond of the cat. She was a cat person.

She groaned internally, Mrs. Norris's presence meant that Filch was somewhere near. He was going to wet his pants in glee in her discovery, Ginny groaned internally. Today was not her day and despite the fact that she may have to serve detention or face some sort of punishment for missing curfew, she actually was looking forward to being brought into the safety the school property provided. Standing outside in the dark was causing her nerves to be on edge.

Mrs. Norris's mews grew louder and Ginny heard footsteps approaching however they sounded as though they were coming from behind her. She frowned, turning to look behind her. Her blood ran cold as she faced three, infamous black and silver robes with wands pointing in her direction.

"Well, well…. Potter's girlfriend…. All alone and vulnerable… Finally!" The first Deatheater, a female, cackled manically.

Ginny opened her mouth to scream out of sheer shock and panic however she was silenced as one of the Deatheaters clamped a hand across her mouth. His other hand was wrapped like an iron grip around her waist. She struggled making move to grab her wand as her past reflexes and experiences had taught her, however the Deatheater slapped her. She was momentarily disoriented from the sharp pain and before she knew it her wand was being snapped into pieces by the third Deatheater.

"Not a peep out of you, Weasley or else you won't want to live after I am done with you." His voice was hard and filled with malice. She struggled to get out of his grip but was silenced as she was met with another slap by the female Deatheater.

"I've been wanting to do that for the longest time." She laughed gleefully.

"She is a pretty little thing, Nott." The third Deatheater said. _Nott? _Theodore Nott? Ginny's heart hammered in her chest once she realized that they were the Slytherins who gave her hateful stares each time they passed each other. It had disconcerted her at one point however, she had attributed it to house enmity. It was something else altogether.

"Let's have some fun with her." Nott said as he pushed her out of his grip. Ginny fell to the ground from the impact.

"Run for your life, Weasley." He taunted her. –"Go on, run along now." He urged while laughing.

This was her chance, Ginny realized as the female turned to face Nott. "What the fuck, Nott?" She cried, outraged.

"Chill, Pans. The thrill of hurting her has just begun." He laughed.

Ginny pushed herself off the ground, the scrapes and bruises she had acquired could not hinder her now. She had to run now. She scrammed towards the forest. Her heart pounding in fear and her vision blocked by tears that were pouring down her face. She was filled with terror. She didn't know what they wanted with her, she didn't know where she was headed, and all she knew was that she had to run in order to save her life.

Cruel laughter filled the air behind her as she saw that she was being followed as she ran deeper into the Forbidden Forest. She stumbled a few times, nearly tripping over big roots as well as narrowly slamming into trees. She had twisted her leg at some point but the pain did not matter. She turned back, only to slam into something dark that grabbed her. She flailed wildly, screaming as she realized that they had caught up with her.

She was thrown to the ground as the rest of them appeared.

The Deatheater lifted his mask revealing himself to be rightly as Ginny had thought, Theodore Nott.

"Caught you, didn't I?" He taunted her grinning as though Slytherin had just won the Quidditch Cup.

"What do you want…." Ginny uttered, her voice weak and breathless from the abuse inflicted. She was faced with a slap before she could finish that sentence.

"Nobody said you could speak, you filthy blood traitor!" The female Deatheater, Pansy Parkinson said shrilly.

"Let her speak, Pansy." The third one whom Ginny recognized as Cassius Warrington said. Turning to Ginny, he lifted an eyebrow –"Want? We want revenge. Your boyfriend ruined our lives by getting our family members and friends killed. We are going to ruin his."

"You were always protected before this. If not your blasted friends then your boyfriend and if not Potter then Malfoy. He knew that we had plans to hurt you and so all this while, he was keeping an eye out for you – that bastard, trying to right what his family has done. We were doing all this for our kind, for purity of our bloodlines but Potter ruined everything. He destroyed our lives! Our families! My father just received a Dementor's kiss in the summer. You'll be lucky if you live once we are through with you."

Draco tried to warn her each time. He was cryptic but his words always held a hint of seriousness in them. His words finally made sense amongst other things.

Pansy raised her wand in the frosty air, a hint of sadism in her eyes. "Crucio!" She shouted as blinding light of excruciating pain embraced Ginny in agony. She screamed and screamed begging for it to stop as her body twitched violently. She never wanted to die more than she did at the moment. There were no words to describe the pain, just that it was intolerable. Any resolve she had earlier on crumbled into dust.

The pain seized and Ginny was stuck in between reality and submitting to the depths of what appeared to be death or unconsciousness.

"What the fuck, Pansy? Why'd you use the Cruciatus for? She's not going to be any fun, unconscious." Warrington said sounding irritable.

Someone dragged Ginny to her feet, forcing her to stand before pushing her really hard. Her head came into contact with what felt like a tree bark. Ginny lifted a heavy hand to touch her head that had been hurt but was forbidden to do so as she felt a pair of hands hold her back. Another pair of hands strangled her briefly before moving to rip her robes and her blouse off her body.

She was going to be raped, horror filled her weakened body as she forced herself to fight back. She pushed and struggled but to no avail. She forced herself to scream for help out of her weakened lungs. She couldn't give up. Not like this.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Ginny fell to the ground locked in a full body binding curse which she tried her hardest to fight.

"Silencio!" "Crucio!" The numerous spells thrown her way hit her harder than before. She twitched violently unable to scream. She gave up. She was going to die. Ginny drifted embracing the darkness.

* * *

_**/blows dust off this story/ It has been a while, almost 4 months since the last update. I've got no excuses except for the fact that I am studying in a University and working part – time and trying to have a social life at the same time. It's impossible. **_

_**Hope you guys liked the update! I'll try my best to churn one out really soon! Leave a review and let me know what you think! **_

_**Lots of love, **_

_**MBAxoxo**_


	8. Chapter 7

**Caged**

**Chapter 7.**

* * *

"I need you to wake up." He said as he shook her as gently as he could. His platinum blonde hair ruffled from the frosty autumn wind as he took in her fragile appearance. She looked deathly pale and her body was covered in scrapes and bruises. He thanked all the divine powers out there that he had gotten to the right place. He would never forget the beastly sight that the bastards Warrington and Nott had presented as they were about to rape her while she was unconscious.

He had stunned Pansy first followed by Warrington and Nott. The three of them were currently knocked out on the forest ground. It had been swift, undeserving and painless. Merlin knew what else he wanted to do to them for hurting her. It crossed all boundaries of humanity. There was a spell to revive her, his experience with medicine had taught him that however he did not want to take any chances. He took off his cloak, wrapping it around her in order to protect her modesty before raising his wand into the air. Red sparks lit up the night sky and the response was just as he had expected, alert.

He had alerted the school of her disappearance when he did not see her at her usual spot at the Gryffindor table at dinner. Something had not felt right as the House of the Brave bustled with gossip while the Trio sat with grim faces. He made use of Extendable Ears – an innovative invention – to ironically overhear the conversation between the brother of the makers and his best friends. Draco found out that she lost her cool when her boyfriend had chosen to bring the entire Quidditch team for a bonding experience at Hogsmeade. It appeared that her boyfriend never spent much time with her anyway. Both Potter and Weasley found her tantrum to be irrelevant, unnecessary as well as irritating for the juicy gossip it provided the entire school with. Well, not quite Granger. She appeared to be more understanding albeit slightly hurt.

He looked over at the Slytherin table only to note the alarming absence of the same people who tried to include him in their conspiracy. Something was definitely wrong, it was then that he made the quick decision to raise the alarm.

"You will be fine, Princess." He murmured softly as Professor McGonagall rushed over with Aurors. Draco always knew that Pansy, Warrington and Nott had something sinister planned for the Weasley girl. Her death was supposed to be a message to Potter, an act of revenge for having destroyed their pureblood supremacist families in society. During summer, Draco was initially approached to facilitate in the abetment of the murder of the youngest Weasley however he declined. He did not fancy the Weasley girl, but he did not want to play a part in anything.

The Parkinsons, Warringtons and Notts were greatly affected with the fall of Voldemort. Many members of the family had been arrested and given the Dementor's Kiss. Many of such families were now outcasts in a society that was highly focused on rebuilding itself. Draco's family was plagued with a similar situation but the Malfoys were smart. They deflected from both sides and had chosen to walk away right before it all ended. This action all but basically destroyed their status and reputation which they decided that they could live with. The Malfoys were now social pariahs with dirty looks and the occasional taunts thrown their way. They faced a lot of difficulty getting around thanks to fast track judicial proceedings and negative press but fortunately they had enough wealth to last generations. His father and mother chose to move to France in pursuit of a peaceful, elitist lifestyle. Meanwhile, Draco was forced to complete the rest of his magical education at Hogwarts for no other school was willing to accept him on such short notice.

The Weasley girl was brought back to Hogwarts where a Healer was awaiting them from St Mungo's. Her condition was far too critical to be treated by Madam Pomfrey. Due to her declining health, they could not afford to further transport her to the hospital for they feared that the time would prove fatal. The Healer had been unable to gage the extent of her injuries then but sensed that a large amount of poweful Dark magic had been used.

When he raised the alarm, Draco had faced skepticism and suspicion from his own Head of House, Professor Slughorn as well as the Headmistress of the school. He was almost positive that he would be made to swallow Veritaserum before anyone reacted however Professor McGonagall chose to believe him. She immediately called in for reinforcements and alerted the other professors. Draco, too was allowed to join in the search.

He was instructed to return back to his House once they brought her back to the hospital wing however he rebelled. He wanted to know what her condition was. He did not care if they were going to dock points. He had to know. He sat on the floor of the corridor outside the Hospital Wing staring both at white walls and nothingness at the same time. He then drifted to the time when he first heard of the plans that Warrington, Nott and Pansy had for her. Then, he immediately refused not wanting to get involved in anything. He also did not try to talk them out of it. The meeting between the four of them however had disturbed him greatly that he chose to numb the loudness of his mind with alcohol. Fate or not, Draco met her on the same night at Storm, the popular wizard's night club. His eyes had been watery and bloodshot from the amount of liquor ingested. He had been drunk, sort of anyway.

He heard her puke – not a very flattering sound – and watched as she gradually got herself together in the mirror. He had an epiphany in that moment, he realized that they were two different individuals leading similar lives. She was caged in this false,heroic, glittery lifestyle and he, as a shunned, deflected Death – eater with a conscience. He could have told her then that there were plans out there for her. Why he did not? He will never know.

As a Death – eater, Draco had witnessed some horrible, truly gruesome sights. It robbed him of his peace of mind; his sleep, his conscience. Ever since he was a child, he had been taught about pureblood supremacy by his father. He idolized his father, the power that was invested in his family's name and his teachings. In fact, there was a point of time in his life where he thought that being a Death – eater was the highest honor that could be bestowed upon anyone. To belong to a group of elitists who believed in cleansing the magical world of _mudbloods_. However, he learnt better when he had the mark branded upon him by the Dark Lord. A mark that he earned to rectify his father's mistakes. A mark he earned to save his family. He soon learnt that his idea of Deatheaters had been glamorized. Deatheaters were vicious, merciless and blood thirsty people. Some of them probably did not believe in the cause, they just joined to kill. They were all manic and deprived of a conscience, like his Aunt Bellatrix. They found joy in inflicting hurt upon others. Something that he could not stomach.

He had been given a mission to kill the greatest wizard of all time. A mission in which he had failed, a mission in which he later found out that he was destined to fail. For Dumbledore had chosen to save him by enlisting the help of the late, Professor Snape, another death that he had to live with. Draco's mind was riddled with the horrors he had witnessed and tried to carry out. He lost his sleep and sometimes on the most insane of nights, his will to live.

It was crazy but he thought that guilt would ease if he let the Weasley girl know about the plan to kill her or at least make her wary. Perhaps letting her know might give him a good night's sleep for once. Like the Slytherin that he was, he did not directly divulge the secrets of his housemates in effort to protect himself. Instead, all he did was give her vague warnings, settle beside her in the Hogwarts Express and in Potions. He also settled somewhat near her in other classes and constantly watched her subtly whenever he could. He could have definitely done better but he was no Gryffindor. If she did not survive however, it would add to the mountainous pile of guilt he carried.

"Mr. Malfoy –"He was startled out of his thoughts by the sharp, no – nonsense voice of the Headmistress –"Am I correct to assume that you were asked to return to your House?"

"Yes ma'am." He answered quietly. Once upon a time, this same boy would have replied with an arrogant smirk that said 'My father is a trustee and a word from him could get you out before you can say "Quidditch".'

-"If you are wondering, Mr Malfoy, Miss Weasley will live, thanks to you. You have two minutes. Her family has been notified of these unfortunate circumstances. They will be here soon." She informed him as her robes willowed through the corridor. He stood up, his legs shaky from having sat in an uncomfortable position. He walked into the hospital wing quietly. Her striking red hair was spread out on the white pillows in a contrast. She looked undisturbed, peaceful. She was in a deep sedated sleep. Who would have thought that she barely escaped rape, torture and murder hours ago?

She was safe now. Nott, Pansy and Warrington had been arrested. He did not need to watch out for her anymore. She was caged to live her own life and he, his. That eased his mind, a little.

* * *

Ginny's eyes fluttered as she struggled to open them. It felt like as though they had been shut together by Tongue – Tied Toffees. Her head felt as though it was trying to split itself into two. She felt disoriented and her vision was blurry. She was also aching all over. She forced herself to sit up but failed. She felt exhausted from that very attempt. Her eyes took note of the plain, white ceilings instead of her usual bedpost that depicted warmth with its reds and browns. Her bed was uncomfortable and her sheets were thin. It took her a while to process it but she was in the hospital wing. The last time she had been in here was after the Chamber of Secrets incident.

It took a while but the horrifying incident rushed back to her and she screamed in terror forcing herself up with as adrenaline shot through her veins. Madam Pomfrey rushed in with an army of redheads – her family. Ginny was hysterical. She had started hyperventilating from post – traumatic stress.

"Darling, you are okay. You are fine Ginny. Mum is here, sweetheart." Her mother hugged her and soothed her tears while the rest of her family watched, aghast and tearfully even. It took great effort but they convinced her to ingest a Calming Draught potion. Although the potion helped immensely, it could not prevent the images in her mind and Ginny was still considerably upset and weak. She cried a lot, mostly from both shock, distress and relief.

Although the male Weasleys were present, they steered clear of her, having been warned off by Madam Pomfrey. This was a precaution in case Ginny displayed resistance and disgust towards males after all that she had been put through. It took a while but Ginny was finally all cried out. She felt both physically and mentally drained. Madam Pomfrey forced her to drink revitalizing potions that tasted absolutely disgusting. The matron shooed everyone out of the room except for Molly Weasley whom Ginny absolutely refused to let go. Ginny had been informed that she was in dire need of rest as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would be sending Aurors down to record her statement for prosecution purposes.

As Ginny let out the occasional sniffle, her mum would constantly remind her that she was a safe, brave girl who was out of harm's way. Emotional breakdown aside, Ginny knew that everyone was bursting with questions. She dreaded to think about the statement she would have to give later. If she had the choice, she would gladly give up her memory of this horrifying incident. It took quite a bit of time but Ginny finally fell into a dreamless but restless sleep.

She was woken up not too long later by the Aurors. They recorded her statement forcing her to re-live each painful moment. Thankfully though she was much calmer this time. The Aurors were brief and business – like. There were two of them, a male and a female. Ginny did not take much notice of anything else choosing to wring her hands in her sheets to keep herself occupied. That was until she heard them murmur a familiar name as they were leaving. Her head shot up in alarm as she heard his name. Her mind started racing with questions and her thoughts automatically drifted to the worst. He had been a Death – eater too.

_ Was he…? Could he…?_

* * *

**_Well, its certainly been a while. Hope everyone is well and enjoys this short update. I've missed writing and I've missed being on this site. (That Unbreakable Vow is still in place)_**

**_Also, I changed my username from My Bad Addiction to Sugarquills10, what can I say, it was long overdue. _**

**_Once again, hope you guys enjoy this short update! Do subscribe or leave a review and let me know what you think! Really looking forward to hear what everyone thinks. I'll do my best to churn out something soon. _**

**_Lots of love, _**

**_SugarQuills10_**


	9. Chapter 8

**Caged **

**Chapter 8.**

* * *

Ginny's stay at the Hospital Wing was as pleasant as any stay at a medical centre could get. She had a ton of visitors, naturally as the news of her attack had spread across the castle like wildfire. She was kept up to date with her assignments all thanks to Hermione. Physically, she was healing just fine, mentally on the other hand, she was a right mess. She suspected that everyone was aware of it. Her family had tried convincing her to engage in counselling sessions but she flatly refused. She did her best to portray herself as fine but her personality was definitely tainted.

Her mood was rather similar to the characteristics one would have after spending hours in a quiet place like the library, solemn. Perhaps it was the fact that Ginny spent most hours alone in the Hospital Wing while everyone else was having classes. Or maybe it was the incident, only time will tell. She also had trouble sleeping often plagued with nightmares that consisted of a vivid mixture of the Chamber of Secrets incident and her recent attack in the woods. She often relied on a Dreamless potion to get her to sleep however Madam Pomfrey advised her to decline her reliance on the potion as its effects would gradually weaken with time.

Since the traumatic incident, Ginny's relationship with Harry had definitely deteriorated. She had openly flinched when he tried to peck her cheek while visiting. He visited her as regularly as one would reasonably expect a boyfriend too. He brought her flowers, chocolates and even Arnold, her sweet little pink Pygmy Puff to keep her company. Harry blamed himself for her attack, she knew. He tried to apologize but she dismissed it. She didn't blame him. She just did not want to think about it. Both parties talked about every other little thing but conveniently laid off topics that skirted around their relationship. In fact, they were most comfortable when discussing Quidditch. Ginny was missing out on rigorous training. She would have to work extra hard when she returned to the field.

It felt like forever but she was finally released one afternoon after Madam Pomfrey did some final checks. She informed Ginny to take it easy for the next few days as she was still weak from the effects of Dark Magic. Ginny was also supposed to report to her daily for a dose of Pepper up Potion and vitamins. She was given a choice to attend her classes for the day or retreat to the dormitory to rest. Ginny chose to return to classes today. She preferred that instead of spending her afternoon staring at Gryffindor walls trying to find cracks.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she examined her reflection in the mirror. She looked pale and weak. She pinched her cheeks to give her face a little color. Glamour charms on the first day back was a bit too over the top, she felt. Coating her lips with her strawberry lip gloss, Ginny grabbed her satchel and headed out to the Great Hall for lunch. It was best to get her appearance over and done with. Also, she had something that she had to complete. It had been on her mind for a while. It was best to get that over and done with as well. That was her only thought on her mind as she walked out of the Hospital Wing and to the Great Hall.

During her stay at the Hospital Wing, she found out more details about the attack. More importantly, she got to know who found her and saved her that fateful night. And she had not expected it at all. On her sleepless nights, she pondered and pondered more about it. He had always known, she realized. During their countless encounters, he never failed to warn her. Although his warnings sounded ominous, they had been terribly vague. It had been a very Slytherin move on his part, to leave her with a warning in such a way that it would not come back to bite his arse.

Had she been Hermione or even Luna, perhaps she would have figured it out but she was Ginny. Due to their family rivalry, she had not taken his words seriously. He had been looking out for her, she realized. However the reason why he did so escaped her. Although now deflected, he had been a Death Eater after all. The Malfoys were social outcasts in society. Whatever the reason, she was going to do what she had to do.

The Great Hall was bustling with famished students and loud, enthusiastic chatter. The aroma of delicious food awaiting Ginny's attention filled the air. She was a woman on a mission the very minute she stepped into the Hall. She scanned the area looking right through her brother and his friends who were sitting at the Gryffindor table. She paid no attention to the fact that Luna Lovegood was dining at the Gryffindor table. Not at all. She had her eye on someone else. She had, as muggles would say, 'a Band-Aid to rip off'.

The chatter slowly transitioned to whispers as her striking red hair made an appearance in the Great Hall. Students watched, clearly interested in what the Gryffindor Princess was up to. She walked towards the Slytherin table where he sat, engaged in a conversation with Zabini.

"Malfoy." She called out to him as she approached him. He looked up, expressionlessly only to see her standing before him. She had definitely seen better days but right now, she was alive and it was all because of him.

He stood up giving her a once over, his expression solemn. –"Weasley." He replied neutrally in a very business – like tone quite unlike how they previously communicated. He insulted her at every opportunity. It was either that, the warnings or he would act as though she simply did not exist.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow as if asking her why she had approached him. She cleared her throat while thinking about how it was all so ironic. Many years ago, she had almost died due to a Malfoy and years later a Malfoy saved her life.

"You're looking peachy, I can tell." It seemed as though he meant it as an insult except that it came out sounding awkward.

"Thanks to you." She said not knowing what else to say. This was hard. It was much easier to insult him. In fact, she could think of all the spells and vulgarities she wanted to hurl in his direction. Ginny however was a Gryffindor and they were a brave lot. She had two things, bravery and manners. It was these qualities that would get her to convey her next message.

She took a deep breath, "Look Malfoy, I heard about what you did for me. For what it's worth, thank you." She held a hand out for him to shake.

Malfoy stared at her hand as though she had given him a shriveled head from Borgin and Burkes. The Great Hall was in pin drop silence as everyone watched with rapt attention. Malfoy reacted albeit slowly. He was about to shake her hand however as if an afterthought, he dropped the idea.

"I would shake your hand, Weasley but I don't want to get my hands dirty." He replied coolly, dismissing her. –"You are welcome."

Ginny rolled her eyes. She had not expected anything less from him. Merlin forbid if Draco Malfoy were to shake her hand. His arm might fall off. She withdrew her hand. Before she could react however, her boyfriend appeared.

Harry held her lightly by the elbow as if trying to make a claim, -"Is there a problem?" He asked coolly, while eyeing Malfoy as though challenging to do something out of the ordinary.

Malfoy stared back at him with defiant mercurial eyes. "Is there? –"He asked before gesturing towards Ginny. –"Why don't you ask her?" He settled down turning his attention back to his lunch.

"Ginny, Ginny?" Harry had to call her twice before she diverted her attention to him. He smiled at her warmly as he tucked a loose strand behind her ear.

"Alright, love?" He pulled her into an embrace as they stood by the Slytherin table incidentally right in Malfoy's view. By then, everyone had lost interest in the reunion between the Boy Who Saved the Wizarding World and his girlfriend. Ginny welcomed Harry's embrace although she was currently not a fan of touch. Harry's embrace was like that of a soft, old blanket's; safe, warm and comforting. As she hugged Harry, her eyes met a pair of stormy grey ones very much like that time outside the nightclub.

And in that moment did Ginny only realize that everything had changed.

* * *

Lunch at the Great Hall went by on a light – hearted note. Ron was upset at Malfoy's response towards Ginny and he kept sending murderous glares towards the Slytherin table. Ginny found his expression hilarious and she kept giggling each time she took a look at Ron's irate expression.

"Did you think Malfoy was going to bow down before me or something?" Ginny quipped. –"I think you might faint if that were to happen, Ron."

"Yeah well, we save that git's life as well." Ron grumbled before stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes.

"Enough of that-"Hermione chided him before turning to Ginny –"You've barely touched your plate, Ginny. I know it will take some time before your appetite comes back but at least finish your vegetables and your pumpkin juice as well. You need the nutrients."

"Yes Mother Hermione." Ginny joked. She was truly happy to be back. Being in the Hospital Wing had been suffocating and it did nothing to rid her of dark and scary thoughts. Now that she was in the Great Hall, she felt refreshed.

Hermione smiled warmly back at her friend. She was happy to see Ginny in a light mood. She knew that the incident had left an impact on Ginny's mental health. She often looked lost and sad whenever they visited. She looked over to Harry and saw him smiling as well as he contributed to a conversation between Ginny and Luna. His green eyes were light and happy, a look that she had only begun to see whenever he conversed with Luna. Seeing their smiles, Hermione thought to herself that perhaps just maybe, this was a sign that Harry's and Ginny's relationship would mend.

* * *

With about ten minutes left till Potions, Ginny made move to leave the Great Hall. To his credit, Harry stood up to walk her to the dungeons but she stopped him. He had classes all the way at the other end of the castle and if he was going to walk her, he would be late. She did not want that on her account. However, as the route to the dungeons darkened and the temperature decreased, Ginny started to regret her decision.

She glance around as her paranoia got the better of her. Her vivid memories of that night came back to her and she shuddered, scared. _What if….. What if…_ She looked around her only to further realize that the route was deserted. She glanced at her watch. There was plenty of time before the rest of her classmates would walk down the same route. _So much for being in Gryffindor_, she thought to herself miserably as she looked at the dim pathway. It was far too soon for her to attempt walking towards the dungeons by herself especially since her memories scared her.

She had three options, firstly to convince herself to sprint towards the dungeons which was clearly a bad idea since she was recovering. Second, to walk through the dim path armed with her wand and lastly, the option for cowards, to wait until someone arrived and to walk behind them. She chose the second option.

_What kind of Gryffindor are you?_ Her stubborn conscience nagged at her. She was in the midst of convincing herself to when a voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"You're blocking the path, Weasley." She jumped, evidently alarmed. She looked up only to meet a familiar pair of grey eyes that had come to have much significance in her life in the recent times.

She looked at him incredulously. The path to the dungeons was big enough to fit a herd of elephants. Malfoy seemed to be eyeing her intently as if studying a complicated Potions recipe.

"I said, you're blocking my way, Weasley. If you're not going to walk along, get out of my way." He said simply with his trademark smirk.

_Look at the nerve of this…! _Ginny glared at him. How could someone be so possibly infuriating? She had no idea.

"Anytime now, Weasley. Some of us actually want to get to class." Malfoy said dryly.

"Well, don't let me stop you." Ginny retorted defiantly.

"Well….?"Malfoy looked at her pointedly as if he did not hear her. His response was definitely not what she had expected. He was quite evidently rooted to his irrational bullying. He was utterly insane.

_What the._ Ginny was so irritated, if he had not saved her life, she would have hexed him. Detention would be so worth it. She willed herself to calm down. He was not worth getting upset over. It was the blasted Weasley temper that was acting up.

_Walk away, Gin_. Her conscience advised her. She turned away from Malfoy but not before giving him the dirtiest, fiercest glare that she could muster. She stomped down the path to the dungeons, muttering to herself about Malfoy, too peeved to think about anything else. He was so weird, on one hand he saved her life, on the other, he annoyed the hell out of her.

It only struck her when she reached the Potions classroom, Ginny had walked through the dimly lit, eerie pathway to the classroom on her own.

* * *

**_I'm back!_**

**_Does anyone read fanfiction anymore these days? I haven't had the chance to stumble upon any recently so I'm really hoping to catch up._**

**_Anyone with any good recommendations for D/G, Dr/Hr fanfiction? (It can be your own, I totally don't mind) _**

**_Anyway this is abit of a filler chapter that's filled with clues about what is going to happen next! Hope everyone is doing well! _**

**_Please do review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, or what you think will happen (you might get a shoutout on the next chapter!) or review simply to holla and let me know of your existence! _**

**_Take care and till the next update, _**

**_Lots of love, _**

**_Sugarquills10_**


	10. Chapter 9

**Caged **

**Chapter 9.**

* * *

In the next few days that followed after Ginny's discharge, Hermione was quite literally Ginny's greatest pillar of support. She ensured that Ginny ate her meals and attended her medical appointments. She would engage Ginny in the most mundane or even the most intelligent debates if she appeared to be spacing out. Apparently, Hermione told her that this, according to one of the many books she kept around for light reading, prevented victims in traumatic situations from revisiting the ordeals. It also prevented dark, depressive and possibly suicidal thoughts.

Hermione had even taken to sleeping beside her at night and would even shake her out of her nightmare. Ginny was definitely getting better however the lack of adequate rest was taking a toll on Hermione although she never protested. It was a cool, Friday night. Ginny sat on the edge of her four poster bed in the Gryffindor Girls Tower. She was reading her textbook, a habit she credited to three reasons – the first being her insomniac tendencies, second – Hermione's company and third, she did have to study for the N.E.W.T.s. Her room was empty with majority of her dorm mates hanging out in the common room.

Although Ginny was mostly studying, she had also started reflecting on her thoughts. Madam Pomfrey had given her the all clear bill for her health during her visit today. Ginny had recovered faster than most patients who encountered dark spells however Madam Pomfrey instructed Ginny to go easy on herself – a piece of advice that Ginny planned on ignoring. The Quidditch season was about to begin and Ginny had missed enough practices that Harry had enlisted a reserve Chaser to make up for her absence.

Ginny was returning to play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She clearly remembered Harry's expression at lunch today when she informed him of her clear medical status and told him that she was returning for practice. He looked almost irritated however he had chosen not to dwell on the subject by telling her that she needed to be on her best form tomorrow if not he would go ahead with the reserved player instead. He did not comment any further, however, her brother Ron, the insensitive prick had given her a piece of his mind.

She had just begun serving herself when Ron spoke rather disdainfully. "Ginny…"He said –"Why must you come back to the team, now?"

She had looked up in surprise then, -"I am in the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Ron." She replied pointedly.

"Well you have a responsibility to the team, you know." Ron responded, irritated. The growing conflict between them had caught the attention of their fellow Gryffindors who looked on in interest. Some of them were from her team. Although Ginny could guess what Ron was implying, she chose to stay calm. It did take great effort however.

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

"Well, you went and got yourself nearly killed. Harry had to find a replacement and now you just waltz like here as though nothing has happened. You owe it to the team to back off!" Ron said heatedly, his face expressing his agitation by turning to a scarlet shade.

Ginny could not believe her ears. She had always known that Ron was really passionate about Quidditch but this was a new low even for him. Hermione who had kept quiet till then (as she tended to during Quidditch discussions), voiced her protests at her boyfriend's blatant rudeness towards his younger sister. Ginny however lost her interest as she took in her own boyfriend's expression. He looked as though he agreed with Ron although he chose to stay out of the sibling argument by keeping quiet.

"I can't believe you would say that." Ginny glared at Ron angrily. It took all of her to not whip out her wand and blast him with one of her specials. Her appetite had died and she stormed out of the Great Hall.

Being a part of this season meant the world to Ginny. This was her last year in Hogwarts. Her dreams for her future and her ambition depended on her participation. She was irritated with Harry for telling her that she needed to be on form at tomorrow's practice. If only he would realize how important this was to her… she thought to herself. She was being unreasonable, she knew. Harry could not be partial to her. It would reflect badly on him. Not that he would ever be… She thought to herself bitterly. She did not hold any grudges against him, he was just doing what he had to. She would be on her best form tomorrow, after all, she did have a point to prove.

Ron on the other hand… What he said had hurt her feelings deeply. She did not ask for that horrific ordeal. Sure, her actions were irresponsible that day. She should have made her way back to Hogwarts in time for curfew. Heck, she could have even gone to Madam Puddifoots that day and sat under all the pink, frills and lace with a warm cup of tea that would soothe her nerves temporarily but do nothing to soothe her woes of having an inattentive boyfriend with a hero complex.

Ginny had successfully avoided the trio for the remainder of the day. All the reflection that she had done made her wonder if Hermione felt the same way. Hermione had never once protested even though she lost sleep while accompanying Ginny even though she had plenty of studying to get done. It made Ginny realize that it was about time she step up to take care of her own needs and problems. Ginny closed her textbook charming it to look like a novel she borrowed from the library just as Hermione entered the dormitory.

"Hey Gin! I've been looking for you all day! You weren't even at dinner." Hermione approached her, concerned.

"No…I was there actually but I came and left early." Ginny explained as Hermione's expression turned into one that was relieved.

"Oh thank goodness! I spent the entire scolding both Harry and Ron for being so idiotic. Ron especially. Sometimes I wonder why I am even in love with that idiot." She declared as she sat on Ginny's bed while beginning to unbraid her curly hair.

"Sometimes, I wonder why as well." Ginny quipped and both girls laughed. Hermione's light expression turned somber though as she took a minute to stare at Ginny.

"You're in an unusually bright mood." She observed making Ginny uncomfortable as she was subjected to her scrutiny. –"I thought you would be more upset."

"Well… I was…" Ginny began slowly all while wondering if she should tell Hermione the truth –"But then…." She lifted up her charmed book grandly –"I found this after studying in the library. Sometimes a good book can really take your mind off things." She explained knowing that Hermione, whose middle name was Bookworm would completely understand.

"What is it about?" Hermione eyed the book curiously.

"Just a cheesy romance." Ginny shrugged –"Something to make you feel better when your own boyfriend is not paying you enough attention."

"I'll talk to Harry alright." Hermione assured her.

Ginny shook her head –"No, it's alright. He is really caught up. I don't want to burden him with my needy girlfriend problems. And speaking of boyfriends…" Ginny mentioned as if an afterthought, -"You should go and spend some time with Ron. It will be nice for you to catch up on some sleep as well. I know you're tired." Ginny shrugged again as she avoided eye contact.

Hermione stared at her friend suspiciously. This same girl was terrified of sleeping for the last few nights. The same girl was telling her to spend time with Ron? She needed to tread carefully.

"Ginny…."Hermione began cautiously –"Are you upset about what happened at lunch?" She scrutinized the pretty redhead.

Ginny shook her head –"Not anymore…" She replied –"But whatever Ron said made me realize that I was being selfish. You're not even sleeping properly. So I decided today at the library that since I cannot take potions, I am going to read books till I fall asleep. I will find the most uninteresting book in the library if I need to! Whether it's Hogwarts: A History or a terribly boring book on Flobberworms." Ginny declared dramatically.

"Hey! Hogwarts: A History is not boring!" Hermione protested.

"Really Mione? That's all you got from my rant?" Ginny asked, amused.

"Oh alright…. I got it. Fine. You'll read books till you sleep. I'll go tonight but trust me, any display of discomfort and I'm moving back!" Hermione threatened her meaning business. She knew that the book that Ginny held was charmed. After all, she was not called the Brightest Witch of the Age without reason. Ginny was also a terrible liar and an actress. She was definitely hurting however Hermione felt that perhaps Ginny needed her own space and hence she decided to step back. She would just keep an eye on her from now onwards. She hugged Ginny shortly before bidding her goodnight. Ron was definitely going to be hearing from his girlfriend tonight.

To her credit, Ginny did try to sleep and she did fall asleep however, she woke up drenched in her own sweat with her heart pounding. There was no sleeping Hermione beside her tonight, Ginny cursed herself. At least the sight of Hermione fast asleep would have comforted her a little. The light snores coming from her dorm mates comforted her slightly however it was not enough to lull Ginny back to sleep again.

Each time Ginny closed her eyes, she was surrounded by vivid, terrifying images. She tried reading the most boring textbook that she could find. She even found the time to practice spells for Charms – well the quiet ones anyway. After a while, she decided that enough was enough and that she might as well make the best of her time since she could not sleep. Ginny threw on a charcoal grey jumper above her sweatpants and put on a pair of sneakers. She grabbed her wand and her Charms textbook. She was going to make the best of her time as an insomniac and she knew just the place to start. It was not the Common Room. Ginny was ironically enough, out on a midnight adventure. She had ignored the Fat Lady's outrage as she stepped out of the portrait. The entire situation was ironic and sad because Ginny was doing the one thing she always did that had gotten her into trouble plenty of times.

She was wondering along the deserted corridors equipped with a thick textbook and her wand. Her disobedience, or she would prefer, midnight shenanigans had caused many portraits she walked past to voice their blatant disapproval in scandalized voices. She was definitely going to hear something from Professor McGonagall the next morning. Perhaps the hours she would spend scrubbing muck of cauldrons might knock her into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. If that was the case, Ginny would gladly embrace detention for the rest of the academic year.

The corridors of the castle were unnaturally quiet once she got towards the Great Hall. Ginny could not help but wonder how the Golden Trio wandered through the castle, it was really eerie. No one, living or dead was literally in sight. She walked down the stairs that led her towards Hufflepuff's side of the castle. She stopped in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit. She tickled the pear on the canvas, smiling slightly as it squirmed and giggled, transforming into a green knob. Her brothers had taught her this trick when she was younger. Ginny planned on basking in the warmth of the Hogwarts Kitchens while practicing her Charms skills accompanied by a warm glass of milk.

She entered a room with a ceiling as high as the Great Hall. The kitchen was filled with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans that served as embellishment for the plain stone walls. Ginny immediately felt comforted as she took in the huge fireplace at the end of the gigantic kitchen. A house elf appeared before Ginny, startling her.

"Young Miss Weezy!" She greeted Ginny enthusiastically. Ginny smiled weakly in return –"Jinky is here to serve the sister of young Mr Weezys. What would Missy like to have?" The little house elf squeaked with zeal that Ginny did not ever think was possible at this hour.

"A warm glass of milk please, Jinky." Ginny replied while smiling at the houself. Although she was initially uncomfortable, Ginny could not help but smile at the young house elf's sweet enthusiasm. Jinky led Ginny towards the other side of the kitchen where there were tables. –"Missy will sit here with Master." Jinky said before disappearing with a pop.

Master? Ginny looked up, alarmed. She was met with the back of an unmistakably familiar blonde Slytherin. What is he doing here? She thought to herself, dismayed. She could not leave now. Jinky was bound to be back with her glass any second now. There was no place else to sit either. She sighed as she resigned herself to settling down in front of him. He was studying, she noted. He barely spared her a glance as he continued writing neatly on a spare piece of parchment. His platinum blonde hair was a tousled mess as though he had run his hands through his hair a couple of times. Like her, he wore a grey cashmere pullover. Jinky returned with Ginny's glass of milk and disappeared startling Ginny once again. She did not know why she was so jumpy tonight.

Malfoy raised his eyebrow at her choice of drink but was wise enough to refrain from commenting further. He went back to his books effectively ignoring her presence as he usually did nowadays. The last time they spoke, he had motivated her to walk towards the dungeons alone by embarrassing her. Since then, he behaved as though she did not exist. He did not make snide comments nor did he criticize her way of handling the ingredients in Potions. Her life was well, peaceful, unnaturally so. Tonight was the first time he had acknowledged her presence in a long while. Taking a sip of her milk, Ginny opened her Charms textbook to the chapter that she had covered earlier that day in class.

She read and practiced the spells that Hermione said were important for the N.E. . Before long, Ginny was finished. She even practiced a couple more times and tested herself on the various theories. She also read ahead. Basically, she studied Charms till she could study no more. If she did this every single night, she would be well ahead and her grades would definitely take a turn for the better. Not that they were terrible before, Ginny had always been a bright student. At least time would be well spent, she thought to herself wryly before taking another sip from her glass. Perhaps next time she would bring her entire satchel to study till the wee hours of dawn taking a page out of her Slytherin partner's notebook.

Ginny studied him carefully as she drank her milk. He concentrated wholly on his assignment which she realized while attempting to read it upside down, was the Potions essay that was due sometime in the next week or so. She had just begun writing hers as well, perhaps she would work on that tomorrow after Quidditch practice. Ginny was practically glaring holes in his parchment as she tried to decipher Malfoy's small but neat handwriting.

"Hey Malfoy…."She began ever so casually when she decided that she could no longer stand the silence between them, -"Is that the Potions assignment? What is your topic?"

"Nothing specific." He replied, brusquely without looking up from his parchment.

"What does that mean?" Ginny was confused.

"Nothing specific means nothing specific, Weasley, or did all of your brain cells die in that accident?" Leave it to Malfoy to bring that up.

"You did not have to be so rude. It's just a question!" Ginny replied hotly irate and hurt by the fact that everything associated with her recently was always linked back to the accident. Malfoy studied the redhead before him, deciding to elaborate.

"My essay is quite literally about nothing specific, Weasley. I'm just writing about how certain potion formulas have not been tried, tested nor improved since its invention and how the improvement of such potion can reduce the social stigma and improve lives of the people who need this." He explained, his grey eyes showing his seriousness.

Ginny stared at him as though she could not believe her ears. In spite of her initial irritation with him, she could not help but commend him –"That is a really good topic. I assume you've received Professor Slughorn's approval since you've already started writing."

Malfoy nodded his head as he studied the contents of a book before him –"People are constantly looking into improving things such as shampoo formulas and remedies for the common cold but potions such as the Wolfsbane Potion have barely been improved since its invention hundreds of years ago. People who suffer from this condition can therefore receive better treatment if wizards were to find the key to reducing the side effects of a werewolf bite."

Ginny was well, speechless. That was probably the most intelligent and humane conversation she had ever had and would probably have with Malfoy. How did he get so intelligent? He was usually such a prick!

"Interesting." Ginny finally managed as she slowly absorbed all the information. This would mean improving the lives of people such as the late Professor Lupin, the best Defence against the Dark Arts professor. Ginny recalled when Professor Lupin had to leave because someone let it slip that he was a werewolf. She was positive then that it was Malfoy who was behind it. Perhaps this was penance…

"I'm writing about the Dreamless Sleep Potion and how it could be improved to help victims of trauma." She contributed suddenly finding herself in wanting of his opinion.

"I didn't ask." Great, so we were back from intelligent and sensitive to arrogant and idiotic.

"I'm just sharing." Ginny replied rolling her eyes to herself. She made a mental note to bring her satchel the next time she visited the kitchens so that she would not have forced conversations with the enemy.

The both of them sat in silence for the next few hours or so, Ginny imagined. While he studied, she decided to strategize for her Quidditch try – outs that were to occur in a couple of hours. She needed to be in perfect form. Ginny 'borrowed' goblets from the kitchen alongside whatever utensils she could find to create a Quidditch match. To an outside, Ginny would appear insane moving cutleries about while muttering unintelligibly to herself. However mentally, she had an actual Quidditch match going on. Ginny could not care less about what anyone else thought. She simply had to be in perfect form.

Perhaps it was this thought that she held on to so feverishly that allowed her to fall into a nightmare – free sleep in the Hogwarts kitchens.

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed the update! **_

_**xoxo, **_

_**Sugarquills10**_


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